The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth
by foureyedbookworm
Summary: Discontinued. Will Inuyasha and Kagome ever be able to admit their feelings for each other and act upon them? They will have to get past some obstacles first! Who said the course of true of love would ever run smooth?
1. Too Many Osuwari's

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first Inuyasha fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 1

It was a beautiful spring morning in the Sengoku Jidai. The sun had just begun to rise above the distant mountains, tinting the puffy clouds with majestic shades of pink and gold. The birds were cooing softly, the tree branches swayed softly in the cool breeze, and the whole forest was quiet and calm. Suddenly, a series of loud noises coming from the nearby village shattered the serenity of the area, and a flock of frightened birds flew away from their nest, startled by the commotion. A loud, ferocious growl came from one of the huts that sat at the edge of the woods, sounding like a fierce lion. Next came the cacophonous clatter of pots and pans crashing to the earth, as well as some child-like squeals of mingled fear and laughter. A gruff angry voice rang throughout the village, "Shippou! Come back here you little brat! I'll teach you to call me a jerk! I'm gonna tear you apart, bit by bit!"

"Ahhhh!!!" an small, high-pitched voice screamed, "Help! Inuyasha's trying to kill me! Hheeelllppp! Kagomeeeeeeee!!!!!!" If a curious spectator had happened to be standing there that morning, he would have witnessed a very interesting spectacle. A small, redheaded kitsune cub was frantically running around in large circles around a small thatched hut. The cause for his fear soon appeared close behind him in a blur of red and white. The young fox demon was running away from the thing named Inuyasha, churning him short little legs as fast as they could move. A young teenaged girl wearing a dirty, torn school uniform stepped out from the hut, rubbing her eyes and yawning drowsily. She finally woke up enough to realize that Shippou was in dire need of rescue, and her blue-gray eyes widened momentarily. Kagome, for that was her name, sighed and narrowed her eyes. 

"Inuyasha," she called, with a note of warning in her voice. Inuyasha halted to a stop and turned to look at her with a guilty face. He knew what was definitely coming to him now, and he dreaded it with all his heart. "Osuwari!" Inuyasha instantly crashed into the dirt. A string of muffled curses and some words were muttered into the ground. 

"$%#@*! Stupid wench…" The remainder of Inuyasha's derogative name-calling and cursing was unheard by Kagome (luckily for him) and Shippou, as the dust cleared and half-demon with long white hair and golden eyes painfully picked himself up off the hard, compact ground. He brushed himself off, making sure to pick off the tiny bits of plants and pebbles that had adhered to his red, fire-rat kimono. At that moment, Inuyasha's amber eyes were slitted, and glittered like an angry cat.

"Oi, Kagome, whadya do that for? Just because you can control this cursed necklace whenever you want, it doesn't mean you have to use it on me every two minutes without any reason at all!" Inuyasha took a step towards Kagome, with a menacing glare at Shippou, who immediately bounded into Kagome's arms, quivering in fright.

Kagome huffed angrily, "Inuyasha, you were trying to hurt poor Shippou! That's reason enough, isn't it?" 

"Yeah, you big meanie!" Shippou said with a triumphant look, from his place in Kagome's arms. He was pleased that Inuyasha was being punished, and, thinking that he had to make use of his distinct advantage, the little kitsune changed into a large, pink bubble-monster and floated towards Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha's soft furry ears twitched toward Shippou, then became engulfed in a mass of pink stuff as the young demon proceeded to gnaw on his head. The situation would have looked very humorous to any spectator, but neither of the two people present found Shippou's little act amusing. The hanyou growled angrily at the fox cub, then bopped him with a curled claw. 

"Owww! That hurt!" The kitsune cub reverted back to his normal form, rubbing his head with a moan. 

Kagome glared at the dog demon, then softened at the look on his face and continued with a pleasanter, calmer tone, " Look, Inuyasha, I'm sorry if I keep using the 'word' on you. I just can't help it, you know? I don't like it when Shippou gets hurt, cause he's like a little brother to me. I mean, you don't like it when people you care about get hurt, right? That's why I always say-, well, you-know-what…" She looked down, half-ashamed, half-repentant. Inuyasha thought about her words, and tried to imagine how he felt when someone he cared about was hurt. He remembered sadly how his human mother was killed by her own kind, cruel villagers who made her bleed to death while he watched helplessly. He tried to picture how he would feel if an evil demon succeeded in hurting Kagome. He remembered how angry he had always felt as he watched Kagome being wounded by the many Youkai that their group encountered on their search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama. Sometimes he wondered whether it was worth it. Every time Inuyasha insisted on going out to find a shard, he was endangering the one person in his life that he cared about the most. Kagome. His Kagome. He winced inwardly as he recalled all the bruises, sprains, scratches, cuts, and broken bones that the poor girl from the future had received throughout their journey. And come to think of it, it was partly his fault. He was the one who demanded that she and Shippou follow him and help him look for the jewel shards. It was he who always tried to prevent Kagome from jumping into the Bone Gobbling Well, to return to her time to get some much-needed rest. And worst of all, it was because of his failure to protect her that Kagome, the strong-minded yet kind-hearted miko, was hurt during their fights.

A gentle but persistent tugging on the loose sleeve of Inuyasha's large, baggy hakama pulled him out of his deep thoughts. Kagome was standing next to him, with a concerned and still embarrassed look on her face. "Um, Inuyasha?" she asked tentatively, "Are you alright?" Inuyasha immediately snapped out of his reverie and turned to reply with his usual brusqueness. 

"Feh, of course I'm alright. Who do think I am, a weak puny human? I was just thinking! Mind your own business!" Inuyasha was about to add his usual term 'wench', when the pained features on Kagome's cream-colored face stopped him. He gazed at her gently for a moment, then whirled around and stalked off into the forest to sit on his favorite branch in the Go-Shin-Boku Tree and brood upon his thoughts and feelings, and to contemplate about the young girl who had won his heart. 


	2. Kagome's Ponderings

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: I didn't get any reviews! I'm so disappointed… L Well, anyway, here's chapter 2! I know the plot is slow but it will become better developed later on…

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 2

Kagome slowly walked back to Kaede's hut, wondering at the look she had just seen on Inuyasha's face. After 'sitting' him, the stubborn dog-demon was usually withdrawn and/or angry. But if it wasn't for rude words he had just uttered before he leapt off into the dense thicket of trees, Kagome could have sworn the look on his face as he glanced at her had meant something else. It was a mixture of expressions, some of which even Kagome, who was a good judge of character, could not fathom. But, the young girl reflected, as she trod slowly back without looking up, there had been pain, sorrow, concern, and something else on the young hanyou's face. As she stepped inside a dark, musty hut, she had one final thought; was it – love…?

Kaede, the old village priestess, stepped out from the dark corner of the hut to greet Kagome, "Hello, Kagome-sama. What are you doing up so bright and early in the morning? I trust that you slept well?" 

Kagome smiled warmly at the wise, ancient woman, and replied, "Good-morning, Kaede-babaa. I just got up because Inuyasha and Shippou got into another argument and I had to use the necklace to stop Inuyasha from hurting Shippou." She stopped, and laughed self-consciously, "Well, actually, I guess 'argument' is a bit of an understatement. The two were running around in circles and making enough of a racket to wake the entire village."

Kaede smiled at the picture she described and asked, "Oh really? And where is that Inuyasha now? Sulking in a tree, I suppose?"

"Well, yes, but that's not what worries me," Kagome answered with a dismal sigh, "I feel guilty because I always make Inuyasha slam into the ground whenever I'm angry with him, and I'm afraid it hurts him much more than he lets on, even though he's half-demon. Today, after the usual cursing, he was actually reasonable and argued rationally that I didn't have the right to control him whenever I want to. Do you think he's right, Kaede-babaa? After what he said, I felt so low and mean, like I was treating him as a slave, or a dog, instead of a human."

Kaede frowned thoughtfully, "Kagome-sama, only your heart can determine whether your punishment was appropriate for Inuyasha. If you feel that he is more of a dog than human, and that he deserves to be dealt with like that, then I'm sure you are right. However, if you see him as more than just a pet or a servant, I suggest you act like it and show him how you feel towards him before you hurt his human feelings. Trust in your heart, Kagome-sama, it will lead you towards the answers you desire."

"Thanks, Kaede-babaa, I'll think about what you said," Kagome said gratefully, "Now, do you need any help gathering herbs for your medicine supplies?"

"No, child, I do not think I need any help today. Thank you, you are such a thoughtful person. Run along, and go enjoy this beautiful day that the gods have decided to grant us." Kaede waved Kagome out with a wrinkled smile, then hobbled back to her table to prepare some cough syrup for one of the villager's sick sons. Kagome strolled outside and breathed deeply, absorbing the cool, crisp air that was permeated with smells of breakfast, newly sprung flowers, and dozens of other strong fragrances. Involuntarily, her thoughts once again wandered to the half-dog demon that had so unexpectedly entered her life two months ago. 

She wondered aloud to herself, "I wonder what Inuyasha smells today? If even I can smell all these different scents, his poor doggy nose must be driving him crazy right now!" Kagome giggled softly, imagining how Inuyasha would look, running around in agitation and sniffing the air like a mad dog. Then, she sobered as her mind turned to other problems that dealt with the perplexing hanyou. She was always so confused when around him. One minute, Inuyasha would be acting like a total jerk, calling her names and scorning her; another minute and he was acting like a little kid, whining and complaining and shoveling tons of Ramen into his huge mouth. Sometimes he was tough, rough, rude and gruff, while at other times Kagome caught a glimpse of the sensitive, sweet, yet mature boy inside. At those times, Kagome's heart would hammer against her ribs faster than a rabbit's footsteps, her cheeks would flame up and become the color of autumn leaves, and her chest would ache with a yearning that she did not understand.

She sighed heavily in despair. Would she ever truly understand who he was and what he was like inside? "And yet," she thought with sudden realization, "that's one of the reasons I like to be around him. I will never grow tired or bored of, never completely know, his inner soul. He's a bit mysterious, sometimes sympathetic, ever determined, and always loyal and protective. I feel safe when I'm around him. He makes me feel so special with one of his rare, sweet, smiles. I enjoy being by his side. Inuyasha…" Kagome whispered his name to the wind, as if it were one of her heart's deepest, innermost secrets, then smiled softly, and wandered leisurely into the forest to see if she could find him, and try to reconcile her (maybe-more-than-just-a) friend.


	3. A Fearsome Youkai Attacks

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Okay, here's Chapter 3! Please, please, please with a cherry on top review! Let me know if there's anything I spelled wrong or something…

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 3

Kagome tiptoed through the forest, hoping not to alert his excellent demon senses while scanning the high tree branches for signs of Inuyasha. "He left the village less than an hour ago. Couldn't have gone very far, no matter how fast he can run. I'm bound to find him if I keep looking around in this area," she thought to herself, "though I'm not sure exactly where he could have gone." She shivered. The silence of the usually lively wood animals was beginning to unnerve Kagome. Despite the fact that she was a brave girl, and usually unlikely to be scared by trivial things, Kagome had learned through experience to be wary of what her inner instinct warned her of. There were many dangerous creatures in the forest, all of which could probably sense her collection of Shikon shards from a mile away. And without Inuyasha to protect her, or her bow and arrows, which had been thoughtlessly left at the village, she didn't stand a chance against any wild animals or wicked youkai that were bound to attack her. And Kagome had a bad, foreboding feeling in the pit of her stomach, a nagging sense of alarm that continued to grow stronger with every step.

The hair on the back of her neck rose, and her spine tingled as she crept deeper into the forest. Kagome sensed a strong Youkai aura nearby, but she was afraid to call attention to herself by yelling to Inuyasha for help. Suddenly, from above her head, with a rustle of leaves and a loud roar, leapt an enormous dark shadow that moved too fast to allow her to discern what it was. It pounced heavily on Kagome with the agility of a graceful cat, then immediately sprang back off the ground as if it were a trampoline. Kagome, on the other hand, was not so quick. She tried to get up as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough, because of the pain her crushed foot was in from the impact of the creature's landing. While she cursed herself inwardly for neglecting to carry any weapon, Kagome got up and stood in a defense position, praying to the gods that Inuyasha was somewhere nearby. The youkai landed on the ground with a thump and grinned at her wickedly, all the while flexing its sharp claws in front of it. The young miko gasped in surprise and fear. It was a cat demon! 

She, for it was a female Neko that crouched on four tense legs before Kagome, had pointed feline ears on the top of her furry head, whiskers that twitched and swiveled on the side of her cheeks, and distinct, tabby-like markings all over her brown, furry body. However cat-like the youkai looked, however, she had a vaguely humanoid appearance due to her long, slender body and human face. Kagome stepped back, hoping to retreat before the Neko decided to demand for her Shikon shards. Unfortunately, she was too late.

"Well, well, if it isn't a little human girl, and a miko with pieces of the Shikon no Tama at that," the woman's smooth, silky voice purred in amusement. "I shall have to have some fun with this; I haven't been able to enjoy hunting down my prey in such a long time." Kagome grimaced at the demon's cold emphasis on the word 'prey,' then lost her fear and shouted at the cat-youkai defiantly, "Who are you and what do you want? I'm warning you, stay away from me, I can't seriously hurt you if I feel like it!" She thought to herself with sarcasm, "Well, I wonder how I learned to lie so easily. That is so untrue and she probably knows it. Even if I do have miko power inside me, I don't know how to use and can't control it. I couldn't hurt that thing in a thousand years, no matter how much I wanted to or how hard I tried." She stepped back another step, but the woman just took another step forward, so that the two remained only a couple feet apart.

"Humans know me by the name of Taiyo, and I am famous throughout these lands for terrorizing villages and slaughtering hundreds without mercy. You would be wise, mortal, to fall to your knees and grovel for forgiveness for your futile threat to hurt me. I may find your act entertaining and decide to spare your measly little life for a while and keep you as a clown to amuse me," Taiyo finished with a cruel, heartless grin and a quick flash of her snow-white teeth.

Kagome's temper flared at Taiyo's insult and she shook her fist at her, no longer afraid but annoyed. "How dare you treat me as if I were a lowly slave! I may be human, but you have no right to make me bow down to you. In fact, I dare you to try to make me do anything for you!" she shouted, enraged.

"So, the dear little girl has some guts and a temper to match." Taiyo narrowed her eyes menacingly, and continued in a low, ominous growl, "We'll see how brave you are after I make you scream in pain when I tear your eyes out. As a matter of fact, let's see how long you can endure without crying out loud or fainting. How about it, dearest?"

Kagome felt her anger ebb away like the ocean tide, as quickly as it had come. She was scared now, and asked in a trembling voice, "Wh-what do you mean?" She took another step backwards, only to be closely followed, again, by Taiko.

The Neko chuckled in a way that could only mean evil, "Ku, ku, ku. What, dear, are you so thickheaded that you fail to comprehend the concept? Torture, girl. I'm talking about torture. Need I make it any clearer? The first thing you lose will be your feet below the ankles, then your hands at your wrists. Next, your nose. The next thing you lose will be your left eye, followed by your right!" She laughed insanely, showing her sharp glinting fangs and long, knifelike claws.

Kagome was frightened beyond her wits. Never before had she met a demon that had threatened to torture her so- _torturously_, before. She was unable to move, incapable of speech. In her mind, she screamed frantically, "_Inuyasha!!! Help me!!!!!_"


	4. Inuyasha to the Rescue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Come on people, please tell me that someone has something to say about my story! I don't care if it's criticism or praise, just say something! Review! 

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 4

Meanwhile, Inuyasha had been brooding silently over Kagome, unaware of her desperate call for help. How exactly did this girl manage to fully occupy his thoughts every waking hour of the day, only to penetrate his mind and present herself in every single one of his dreams as well? He sighed, and smiled to himself as an image of Kagome rose unbidden to the surface of his mind. She wavered like a reflection before his unseeing eyes, with long black hair that billowed in the wind. Blue-gray eyes that sparkled with life and happiness, eyes that could manipulate him with a single tear. He hated seeing Kagome cry, especially if it was because of him. His heart ached to think that he was the one who often caused her so much emotional anguish, yet his mind was in conflict over whether or not to give in to his emotions. He had sworn to protect her, not matter what, he thought fiercely, and he would do it, even if that meant protecting her from himself!

Without warning, Inuyasha was interrupted from his meditation by a loud pleading voice inside his brain scream, "_Inuyasha!!! Help me!!!!!" _He bolted up from his half-crouching position and scanned the area. Had that just been Kagome's voice? But it couldn't be! How could he hear her inside his head? Was he going crazy? Inuyasha was unsure of what to do. If Kagome was in trouble, why wasn't she screaming aloud? Why was she even in the forest? He had warned her to stay out! It was dangerous! "Kuso," he cursed silently, "That girl better have a good explanation for this when I find her!" 

He hopped down from his tree and sniffed the air. He paused. Thick waves of Kagome's scent were coming from a dense thicket that was between here and the village. The trouble was, her scent was overlaid with an overwhelming sense of fear and urgency that almost seemed to pull Inuyasha towards it. He began to get worried. Kagome was usually a calm, reasonable girl, he thought, "She wouldn't get scared unless there was a good reason, like, **if a youkai was trying to kill her!!!!!!!!!**" He had barely caught a whiff of a Neko's scent before the dog-demon leapt with more speed than he could ever imagine into the forest, rushing past the rows of trees so fast that the wind whipped the leaves off of them. "_Hold on Kagome, just hold on! I'm coming to save you!_" 

Inuyasha's perceptive ears picked up sounds of a violent scuffle, as well as more than a few muffled shrieks of pain and angry voices. Kagome's scent got stronger and stronger as he neared the familiar thicket, and he could barely hear, if he strained his ears to the furthest degree, the sound of her voice. The hanyou sped up, moving even faster than before, at a swift pace he never before knew he possessed. He smiled despite the grim situation; it was amazing what a woman could do to give you strength. Then he smacked himself on the head and thought angrily, "She's not my woman and she doesn't have anything to do with my increased speed!"

"_Oh yeah_?" a smug little voice at the back of his mind said, "_Then why aren't you able to move this fast normally? Huh?_"

Inuyasha growled at himself and snapped angrily, "Shut up! I don't have time to argue with you!"

"_Really, since when did you start being able to argue with yourself_?" Inuyasha could have sworn there was a twitch of amusement in the voice.

"Grrr… go away and leave me along, willya?" Inuyasha was ready to stop and seriously hurt himself, but the thought of Kagome pressed him on.

"_Hello, idiot, did you realize that I am you? You can't make me leave, you know._" Now there was undisguised irony and mockery in the being's tone of voice.

"I told you to shut up! I need ta save my Kagome!" Inuyasha sped up even more, hoping to run away from this omniscient voice.

"_And since when did she become your Kagome? You tease her, scorn her, curse her, and hurt her. You tell her she means nothing to you and that she's just a 'Tama detector. What makes you think she doesn't hate your guts and will leave you and become Kouga's woman after the jewel is complete? Ha, he's much more handsome and kind than you, dog-turd!_" With this final insult, the voice disappeared from Inuyasha's mind. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief, which wasn't a smart idea since he happened to bump headlong into a solid tree trunk. 

"Oww…" he groaned, "I can't believe the things I go through for this woman!" Inuyasha thought of just giving up and deciding that Kagome wasn't in danger after all, that he had just imagined her voice inside his head, when suddenly, a piercing cry rent the air, full of pain and distress. It was Kagome's voice, and it was nearby, Inuyasha could tell. He gasped, "Hang on Kagome, I'm coming!!!!!!" And burst into the clearing where Neko was "playing" with her captive.

Kagome was tied up with strips of cloth from her own school uniform, with a bright blue headband tied around her mouth to keep her from crying aloud. She had obviously been struggling to get free of her bonds for some time, for there were dirt stains and stray leaves all over her clothes, hair, and face. There were scratches and bruises everywhere, most likely caused by the cat-demon's sharp claws and hard blows. But worst of all, what tore at Inuyasha's heart, was the sight of the long dark blood stain that was slowly spreading down the front of Kagome's chest, indicating a very deep and serious wound had been dealt from those deadly claws.

"KAGOME!!" Inuyasha cried. The miko looked up, obviously in pain and struggling to stay conscious, and saw him standing there, looking as if he was the one who had been hurt. Her eyes showed desperation, pain, and relief. She took one more harsh, raggedy breath, before a heavy darkness claimed her and she slumped down onto the earth.


	5. The Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: I know that the plot is moving slowly, but please don't yell at me. This chapter at least will be kinda interesting. It's the battle! 

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 5

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted again, and rushed over to her side. He quickly picked her up in one swoop and caressed her pale, waxy face tenderly. Leaning her carefully against a tree trunk, he whispered, "Don't worry, Kagome, you're safe now that I'm here." Although his face was taut with anger towards the Neko, Inuyasha's eyes betrayed the pain and worry he felt for the unconscious girl. He stood up, and his expression changed. He roared, "How dare you hurt Kagome! For that, I'm gonna make sure you suffer tenfold what you did to this innocent girl! Prepare to die, Neko!" He bared his fangs menacingly, and cracked his knuckles.

Taiyo sneered, "Hmph. You're nothing but a filthy halfling. What makes you think you'll be able to defeat I, the great Taiyo? Don't insult me. I won't lower myself to **fight** with such a disgusting, low animal. I'll just rip you apart before you can even scream." She leapt into the air with a feral growl, claws extended and glinting in the moonlight. Ready to inflict mass destruction on the demon that had harmed Kagome, Inuyasha also charged towards her with claws raised and ready.

His running jump had carried himself a few inches higher than Taiyo, and he kicked her soundly in the head as he went past. Instead of falling, the agile demon gave under his weight, then bounced back up again like a spring. She jeered at the dog-demon rudely, "Ha! Is that the best you can do? You're even worse than your little human 'friend' there. At least she managed to land a few punches on me, the little bitch, before I tied her up. Of course, she had been suitably punished for hurting me," here she indicated the red marks on her arms and face, "for I have given her a wound that will leave a scar on her chest when it heals, if she manages to live, which is highly unlikely."

Inuyasha was infuriated by Taiyo's taunting, and pulled out his katana from his side with a quick, metallic swipe. It transformed into a giant, gleaming fang as he raised it up high. "Tetsusaiga!" he yelled, and dashed towards her, intent on shedding her blood. Metal clashed against metal as Taiyo pulled out her own sword that held it up in front of her just in time to block his attack. He gawked. Its sharp, clean blade glimmered, showing it's great condition. Compared to his sword, which was rusty, battered, and chipped, the cat-demon's sword was beautiful.

Taiyo smirked at his astonishment. Taking advantage of his momentary silence, she raised her sword again and slashed at his legs in a wide arc. Inuyasha jumped just in time, then shook himself out of his shock and attacked her again. Sharp clanging rang out throughout the glade as the two exchanged parries and thrusts. With frustrated cursing on Inuyasha's part, and frosty amusement on Taiyo's part, their harsh blows and blocks continued for what seemed like an endless eternity. Each had accumulated numerous wounds, both large and small, from their fighting. After a careless block by Inuyasha, Taiyo's sword had managed to slip past him and rewarded him with a large, deep gash on his right arm. This was not very helpful, for the warm blood had slowly seeped down to his hands and made his sword grip slippery. Now his arm was starting to ache, and he knew he couldn't hold onto the sword for much longer. Sooner or later, he would make a mistake and his tired hands would drop the Tetsusaiga. He gritted his teeth and tried as hard as he could to deliver a final fatal blow. He had to kill this demon that had hurt his Kagome.

Of course, Taiyo was not fighting without difficulty either. Inuyasha dipped his claws into the wound on his arm with a savage snarl, and shouted, "Sankon Tetsusou!!" Dark blades of blood whirled from his claws, heading toward Taiyo. After receiving an well-aimed blow to her forehead, Inuyasha's claws caused a scratch that allowed the blood to drip into her eyes, half-blinding her and causing her much difficulty. She had lost her cool, confident air much earlier in the battle, and had also ceased her taunting. As much as she hated to admit it, the half-breed was a match for her after all. Maybe more.

Finally, as always, good prevailed over evil, and Inuyasha managed to thrust his sword straight through the Neko's stomach as she lashed out as his shoulder. Inuyasha fell to his knees and stared weakly as the tip of the blade protruded grossly out of Taiyo's back. She fell with a thump to the ground, coughing up dark blood, and glared at him with hatred and disbelief in her eyes before her vision blurred and her closed her eyes for the last time.

Inuyasha almost fainted from the exhaustion and pain of his wounds, but the thought of his Kagome lying there, breathing shallow breaths as her blood slowly leaked out of her, forced him to stay awake as he crawled painfully over to the girl's side, gasping heavily in exertion. He slowly picked her up in her arms, like a bride, and, drawing on his last reserves of strength, started to stagger back towards Kaede's village. His resolve burning as brightly as a candle within him, even as his eyes started to droop a couple feet from the edge of the village. In the end, unable to take the strain any longer, the half-demon croaked out, "Help Kagome…" before he, too, slumped down with Kagome in her arms and lost himself in blissful oblivion.


	6. Snow White Awakens

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Yayy! This chapter contains some fluff! Review, please!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 6

Kagome was in a tunnel. It was dark and flooded with water, and she was swimming in it. The water wasn't cold, though. In fact, it didn't really feel like water at all. It was too warm and too thick. In the distance she could see a circle of light, and somehow she knew she had the choice of going toward it or turning and going in the other direction, where there was also a light, but of dimmer, less welcoming kind. She wasn't frightened. It was simply a matter of choice. Either way would be fine.

Then she heard a voice. It was coming from the place where the light was dimmer. She recognized the voice; it was Inuyasha! She tried to move toward the sound, but the water was too thick. It was like glue. She was swimming in glue, and it wouldn't let her through. She tried to call to Inuyasha for help, but she couldn't find her voice. He didn't seem to realize that she was there. He sounded so far away, and Kagome was suddenly worried that he might go and leave her all alone. But now, yes, he was calling her name. And although she still couldn't see a glimpse of his velvety white hair or flashing amber eyes, she knew he was reaching out for her, and if she could only make one final, great effort, maybe the glue would let her through and he could haul her out.

Inuyasha sat by Kagome's side, holding her hand. He had never dared to hold it before when she was awake. He had woken up yesterday in the late afternoon in Kaede's hut, and had learnt that after he collapsed at the edge of the village that night, the villagers had found him and Kagome in the morning and brought them both back to recuperate. Because of his half-demon blood, his wounds had already healed. Unfortunately, Kagome had lost a lot of blood, and she had still been in critical condition when he woke up. Inuyasha had stayed up all day and all night watching over her, and now he was completely exhausted. The good news was that Kaede had said she was almost completely healed earlier this evening. The old priestess had gone to bed hours before. 

Now, at three o' clock, with the entire village still sound asleep, Inuyasha was still keeping watch over Kagome, waiting for the time when she would finally open her eyes. He let his own tired, bloodshot eyes roam over the futon she was lying on, letting his eyes linger on her soft, raven-black hair, which was spread out haphazardly all over the pillow like a fan. He gazed intently at her perfectly calm face, looking for any signs of movement. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that the girl with the skin as pale as wintry cream was only sleeping. There was a faint, peaceful smile on Kagome's face, as if she was thinking of something pleasant. It reminded him of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, one of the 'faerie tails' that Kagome had brought from her time to read to Shippou as bedtime story a couple nights ago. While Shippou had been eager to hear the story, Inuyasha had scoffed and declared that he was too old to listen to little kiddie stories.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Come on, Inuyasha," Kagome said in a cheerful, inviting voice, "Do you want to hear a fairy tale before we go to sleep?" She explained the meaning of a fairy tale before lugging a huge, thick book out of her backpack and opening it to one of her favorite stories, _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_.

"Feh," Inuyasha laughed rudely, "I don't care what you do with Shippou, I'm not listening to some stupid story about a princess or whatever. I'm not a kid." He jumped into the nearest tree branch and pretended to sleep, but kept his ears cocked towards the direction of Kagome's voice and listening with interest as Kagome's melodious, lilting voice began the story:

"_Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, lived……………………and they lived happily ever after. The End._" As Kagome finished the story, with Shippou's eyes already drooped shut, she tucked him into her sleeping bag, then looked up at Inuyasha. "Are you still awake, Inuyasha?" 

"Feh," Inuyasha said again, then he paused, and asked in a casual voice, "So why do you like this story anyway?" 

Kagome smiled and said in a light teasing tone, "Inuyasha, I thought you said you weren't listening?"

He jumped down from the tree and fixed her with an intense glare, then answered, "I 

changed my mind. Now answer my question."

Kagome looked down and blushed, "Well, I loved this story ever since I was a child because I used to imagine I was Snow White and wished for Prince Charming to come a wake me up from a magic spell with a kiss." She sighed sadly, "Unfortunately, now I know that such things don't exist; there never will be a handsome prince to come rescue me."

After everyone had gone to bed, Inuyasha sat in the treetops, looking down at Kagome's sleeping face. His harsh face softened slightly, and he whispered, almost inaudibly, "Don't give up, Kagome. Your prince will come, someday…" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*end of flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Right now," Inuyasha reflected, as he kept a silent vigil over Kagome, "she really does look like Snow White." Her skin was pale and her lips were cherry-colored from her fever. He whispered to himself, "Skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony…" And when lying there, unmoving on the futon, Kagome looked as if she truly was waiting in a coffin for love's first kiss to awaken her. Inuyasha had the sudden urge to bend down and kiss her, as if he were playing the part of the prince in the fairy tale. He knelt down next to her, and spread his trembling hands wide apart on either side of Kagome's body. Leaning down, careful not to let her stir, 'Prince Inuyasha' slowly, hesitantly, lowered himself down until he was inches from Kagome's face. 

"Kagome, please, wake up…" he whispered, then closed his eyes and lightly brushed his lips against hers. It was barely a kiss, hardly noticeable and very delicate, just like the touch of a butterfly's wings. He lifted his head, and unable to resist, bent down and gently but firmly pressed his lips to hers again. The sensation of her tender skin against his, combined with Kagome's sweet, scent of honey and flowers mixed with the smell of spring rain, led him to cup her cheeks loosely and deepen their kiss until he felt as if he were about to explode from lack of air. And yet, he didn't want to move away. Inuyasha felt as if he could drown in the feel of her lips forever, but reluctantly, he slowly pulled back and looked at her tenderly. Suddenly, his golden eyes widened as Kagome's still face twitched once, twice. As the first rays of sunlight peeked over distant mountains, a single beam of sunshine fell through the window and focused on her face like a spotlight. Her thick black eyelashes quivered, and her eyes finally fluttered open. She smiled faintly, and whispered just one word, "Inuyasha." Prince Charming had finally awoken Snow White with true love's first kiss. 


	7. Trapped!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Chapter 7 is up! Hope it's interesting! By the way, does anyone know a good way to describe Inuyasha's scent? Please tell me!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 7

A musky scent of damp earth and fresh green trees wafted past her nose. Even though she was unconscious, Kagome could recognize Inuyasha within her subconscious brain. A slight shift of balance alerted her to his movement, and a strand of something long and soft tickled her bare neck. She wanted to open her eyes and see his face staring down at her, but some dark force was preventing her, pushing her down. Suddenly, something brushed against her lips, then came down again with more force. The warm, smooth feel of Inuyasha's lips against hers seemed to provide her with enough strength to hurl herself out of the dark dream world she was in and back into the real world. She opened her eyes carefully, and her heart soared as high as an eagle to see his face so close to hers, with a mild, peaceful expression showing through his eyes. "Inuyasha…" she whispered with a faint smile.

He gently silenced her with a finger pressed softly against her lips, "Shh, Kagome, rest now, talk later. Welcome back, princess." He smiled at her with an unreadable expression, then lightly kissed her on the forehead before standing up stiffly and walking calmly out of the door.

A week later, everything was back to normal. Kagome was her cheerful, healthy self again. No else one knew of what had happened in the hut that early morning. When Kagome managed to catch him alone to privately question him, Inuyasha was embarrassed about his moment of supposed weakness, and responded to Kagome's interrogation with a haughty 'feh', "I was just worried that you died. I need you to find the Shikon shards." However, Kagome knew the truth and smiled brightly at him with understanding in her eyes. He had cared, actually cared for her and her alone, and she so stopped pestering him and the group continued on their quest as if nothing had happened. 

But no matter how hard the two tried to hide it, something had changed after the fight with Taiyo. Inuyasha no longer teased Kagome as often as he used to. He tried, half-heartedly, to stop her from returning to the Bone Eater's Well, but it was obviously not a serious attempt. The dog-demon seemed mellow, more serious, and was often caught looking at her with a gentle expression in his eyes. He was more considerate, and at time, stopped to set up camp at night without even being nagged by the rest of his traveling companions. Kagome no longer used 'Osuwari!' to sit Inuyasha, even when she was upset. She wheedled, cajoled, and whined, but never used the necklace any more. It was as if the two had reached an unspoken compromise or truce, and neither bothered the other unnecessarily. They acted like good friends, but were more than once seen by Shippou to be just gazing silently into each other's eyes. It was puzzling, and the kitsune cub, Myouga, and Kaede each tried but failed to arouse them to a full-blown argument.

One dreary June day, when the summer thunderstorms were wrecking havoc on the forest trees and the strong winds gusted over the entire area without stop, the party was trekking wearily towards the northern mountains of Musashi's Domain. They had heard a rumor of a giant snake Youkai that possessed a Shikon shard that enabled it to re-grow its head every time it was chopped off. Shippou was huddled inside Kagome's giant backpack, trying to retain some warmth. If anyone had managed to pull him out of it, he would have looked like a small, wet, angry, brown furball. Myouga, Inuyasha's loyal flea retainer, was crouched down next to his master's ear and clinging tightly to a thick strand of his wet, white hair as if it were a lifeline. Kagome was pedaling slowly on what Inuyasha called a 'metal horse', soaked to the skin and shivering with cold. Inuyasha was also drenched with rain, but, being the stubborn half-demon that he was, he refused to stop and find shelter in a dry cave. 

"Inuyasha!" Kagome called through chattering teeth, "Can we please stop and wait out the storm in one of the many caves that we've passed along the way? If we rest now, we'll have much more energy to continue when the rain stops, and we'll be able to move much faster if we're dry. We're not making much progress, and the rest of us are all cold and wet and hungry."

Shippou popped his furry head out from Kagome's backpack and sniffed, "Besides, Inuyasha, you smell like a wet dog." Inuyasha growled at the fox angrily, then whirled around, ready to berate Kagome for mentioning the word 'rest', when he saw Kagome's pitiful state. Her dark hair was plastered miserably against the side of her face, her clothes were as wet as a bathing suit, her cold lips held a tinge of unhealthy blue, and her face looked worn and haggard from lack of sleep. They had left their last camp at 5:00 this morning, and now it was almost too dark to see. The group had been traveling through wild terrain for four nights already, and Kagome looked ready to collapse on top of her bicycle. Inuyasha sighed resignedly, as if loath to waste time resting, although he was actually worried about Kagome's welfare. 

"Fine, have it your way, woman," he scoffed, "We can stop in that cave over there for tonight." He pointed to a small dark cavern that was only a few yards away, and then motioned for everyone to follow him as he stepped towards the entrance. Kagome smiled at his back approvingly as she wheeled her bike after the retreating red figure.

After everyone had quickly made it into the cave, Kagome bustled around handing out dry towels, collecting a few dry sticks, and building a small fire in the center of the stone cave. Knowing Inuyasha's favorite food, she took out a three cups of instant Ramen for everyone to eat. The warm noodles were as welcome as hot chocolate after a snowball fight, and everyone except Myouga (who had disappeared without a trace a few minutes before) slurped their dinner contentedly. By and by, Shippou began to rub his eyes blearily, and Kagome yawned softly every few minutes. Inuyasha remained still and silent, staring dully into the depths of the cave, but glanced at Kagome once in a while to see if she was okay. 

Just as Kagome had taken out her sleeping bag and a blanket for Inuyasha and Shippou, and gotten ready to go to sleep, a sudden sound was heard. There was a tremble in the ground, then a loud rumble, and the entire roof of the cave shattered unexpectedly and crashed down around them. Kagome screamed as a large boulder almost crushed her, then a large warm mass grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down to the ground, keeping her below it and protecting her from any debris that fell down. When the dust cleared, two dark shapes were huddled in the middle of the floor. Inuyasha got up and looked around. Shippou was trembling on the cold stone floor, while Kagome stood up shakily and dusted herself off. In the dim light of the cave, her face paled as she looked toward the cave entrance. A pile of large rocks blocked the opening and left spaces not even large enough to fit a flea. She covered her mouth in unspeakable horror, and grasped Inuyasha's arm urgently.

"Inuyasha," she gasped out. Inuyasha turned to look at her, then gaped at where her other arm was pointing. 

They voiced out in simultaneous dismay "We're trapped!" 


	8. Shippou Escapes

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any of its characters, but the characters that I made up belong entirely to me.

Author's Note: Hi everybody! Hope you like this next chapter! Tell me if there's anything I did wrong! I want to thank Mia-Jade for her review! Thank you so much! I'm so glad someone likes my story! Please: REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… Chapter 8

"Oh my goodness!" Kagome cried, "What are we going to do Inuyasha?" In times of trouble, she always unintentionally turned to the dog demon for comfort and guidance. He tried to act casual and unconcerned, but the waver in his voice betrayed his calm countenance as he answered with a shrug, "I don't know. Don't worry Kagome," he hastened to assure her at the look of panic on her face, "We'll find a way out of here." He strode over to the massive heap of rocks that blocked the cave mouth. With a heavy grunt, he tried to push the rocks away. He tried to lift even one single rock, but the structure didn't even budge. He pushed and pulled, kicked and punched, but 'twas all to no avail. Two minutes later, he was standing there, panting with exertion and dirty with sweat and dust, but the rocks hadn't moved an inch. 

Shippou was wailing loudly in despair, for he knew that Inuyasha was strong, and if he couldn't move the rocks, no one could. Kagome tried to hush him, but the kitsune only sobbed louder into her blouse. She picked him up gently and rocked him in her arms until he quieted, and hiccuping softly, he finally fell asleep with a chubby thumb in his mouth. In the disheartening gloom of the cave, Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other helplessly.

Inuyasha sighed despondently, then kicked at an offending pebble that lay on the ground. He glanced around the entire surface of the cave, hoping to find something that would aid their escape. There was nothing in the whole cave except rocks, dirt, dust, and small hole in the roof. Wait, a hole? They could climb out of the hole if they reached it! "Hey! Kagome, look up there!" He pointed above her head, where there was a small hole, just barely large enough to fit a person through.

Kagome followed his finger, and shrieked in happiness, "Yes! We can get out there by crawling through the hole! Shippou, wake up! We're going to be able to get out of here!" She ran over to the sleeping kitsune cub and gently shook him awake. 

Upon hearing her excited words, Shippou squealed happily and grasped Kagome's hands in his furry little paws as they danced around in a small circle, chanting elatedly, "We're gonna get out of here! We're gonna get out of here!" Finally, puffing heavily, the two stopped and looked up expectantly at the hole.

"Um, Kagome?" Shippou asked tentatively, tugging on Kagome's arm with a hesitant look at the hole.

"Yes, Shippou? What's the matter?" Kagome asked the fox cub, concerned.

He pointed up a the hole, which was at least eight feet above the ground, "How are we going to get up there?" Inuyasha face-faulted, while a large sweat-drop appeared on the back of Kagome's head. 

"Aahh, I'm, not, quite, sure…" Kagome answered, with a pause in between each word. She turned with an embarrassed look to Inuyasha, who was standing off to the side, arms crossed and brow furrowed as he peered up at the ceiling. "Inuyasha, what do you think we should do?" She was ashamed of having to depend on him for advice, yet she felt strangely comforted at the fact there he was there, to be able to give her guidance.

Inuyasha had a thoughtful look on his face as he asked, "Kagome, how tall are you?" He turned to look at her.

Kagome flew into a fit of rage at his question, "What! Inuyasha! We're about to be stuck here for who-knows-how-long with a limited supply of food and water and all you can worry about is how tall I am? I'm five foot four inches, but what does it matter since we'll rot into disgusting corpses in this cave! I'm gonna die anyway!" She shook her fist at the flabbergasted dog demon, then proceeded to sob loudly and despairingly at the thought of being stuck there until they all died of thirst. 

Inuyasha knew the stress was probably making her irritable and moody, explaining her unexpected outburst of tears, so he gently put his arms around her and rubbed her back soothingly until she calmed down. "Shh, Kagome. Everything's fine. No one's going to die. I know a way to get out of here." He continued patting her softly and whispering inaudible words into her ear until Kagome had stopped crying. She wondered at his sensitivity and affection, but just sniffled once more before looking up into his face with large, moist blue eyes.

"Y-you know how t-to get out of here? We're not trapped?" Kagome asked in a trembling voice.

Inuyasha nodded, "See, if I can get you to stand up on my shoulders, then maybe Shippou will be able to climb up on top of us and get out to get help. How about it then? Sound good to you?" He flashed her an encouraging smile. Kagome immediately cheered up, although she still wondered at how tender and caring he'd seemed before. The half-youkai usually acted gruff and ill mannered towards her, even when she was crying. What had prompted this sudden change in him? Oh well. She shrugged inwardly, then blushed a soft, rosy pink as she realized she'd been crying in Inuyasha's arms. Luckily, since it was already dark outside and inside, even his excellent demon eyesight could not see the reddish stain that spread slowly up her flushed cheeks. She shook her head to try to clear it from the warm fuzzy feeling that she felt.

"Okay, everybody!" She clapped her hands, back to her light-hearted old self. She said in a blithe tone, "Are we all ready for Operation Human Ladder?" Shippou giggled at her joke, then, having remember a phrase she once used, chirped, "Aye-aye, captain!"

Inuyasha was relieved that Kagome was no longer upset, but all he said was, "Feh! Come on, let's hurry up. Unless you do want to spend the rest of your life in here?"

He trudged over to the spot under the hole with his customary scowl back in place, any signs of the brief moment of affection had long disappeared. Kagome followed him, treading lightly, as if she were walking an inch above the ground. She beamed up at him brightly before stepping onto the cushion he had made of his outstretched palms. He hoisted her slowly up to his shoulders, grunting with effort. Kagome refrained from grabbing onto his furry ears for balance; from the minimal knowledge she had of dogs, she knew he would not appreciate it. Instead, she clutched his shoulder as she swayed precariously from side to side, hoping that she wouldn't fall and break her arm. One foot slowly put its weight onto a broad, strong shoulder as Inuyasha murmured encouragement to the timid girl.

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'm not going to drop you. You're not that heavy. I won't let you fall." He continued to encourage her as her other foot also stepped upon his shoulders. Despite his reassurances, Kagome was a bit hard to carry, although she was slim, for her age. Inuyasha gritted his teeth and braced himself, trying to stay steady so he wouldn't alarm the girl that was now standing on top of his shoulders. He gripped her ankles firmly, then called down to Shippou, who was pacing around anxiously on the bottom, "Okay, Shippou, you can climb up now. Do it slowly, though, and don't step on my face or I might drop Kagome." 

Kagome noticed that he didn't call Shippou a brat this time, as was his usual custom. The situation was too serious. And he also seemed to worry about her, she thought. Her heart sped up at the thought, but she bit her lip and tried to focus her attention on the kitsune that was now making its way up Inuyasha's back.

Shippou was lucky to have claws, for in spite of the fact that his sharp little nails pricked their skin as he climbed, they also helped him to keep from slipping down as hitting the ground. He dangled dangerously at the section where there was no clothing for him to latch on to, since there was at least a foot of space between Inuyasha's head and the edge of Kagome's skirt. But the agile fox managed to leap up and grab her uniform with his claws and scramble up towards the night sky. He paused for a moment at the edge of the hole, then looked down and grinned reassuringly. 

He called out, "Don't worry, you two. I'll be back as soon as possible with help! Don't do anything naughty while I'm not watching!" He hopped up over the edge of the opening, took out a small green leaf, and concentrated. Suddenly, with a small poof, the oak leaf turned into a small wooden toy horse, which Shippou mounted with familiar ease, and he raced off into the forest.


	9. Oh My Aching Shoulders

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha, but I don't. I own no claims to any of the Inuyasha characters. Sniff. Sniff. I wish…

Author's Note: Okay, sorry about Shippou. I know that he could have just turned into a pink balloon and floated up to hole instead of climbing up, but oh well, I forgot! Oh yeah, there's some fluff in this chapter! Yay! Me luvs fluff! Sorry if Inuyasha and Kagome are a bit OCC… Enjoy!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth… 

Chapter 9

Inuyasha sighed in relief as he saw the kitsune's small figure get smaller and smaller, then quickly but carefully lowered Kagome to the ground. She was watching Shippou's diminishing shape with a worried look, and said, "I hope Shippou will be okay." She turned toward Inuyasha, looking for a reply, only to see him rubbing his aching shoulders with a grimace. "Oh, Inuyasha! Did I hurt your shoulders?" She rushed over to him and frowned in concern. "I'm so sorry that you're in pain! Is there anything I can do to help?" She massaged his shoulders softly in sympathy and remorse.

The poor dog demon tried to stifle a low groan through his clenched teeth as Kagome touched a particularly sensitive muscle, "N-no, Kagome, it just hurts a bit. It's not your fault. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine by morning." He tried to shrug indifferently to show that he was fine, but his body betrayed his casual words as the action caused another sharp twinge to pull through his shoulders. He hissed in pain, then clamped down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. He wondered at himself. Why am I hurting so much? Even when I got impaled through the stomach with Sesshoumaru's poison claws, I didn't feel like this! Gods, this hurts like hell! Whoever knew that a slight girl that looked as light as a feather could almost break his shoulder bones?

"Inuyasha? Are you okay? Do you want to lay down so that I can massage your shoulders for you?" Kagome asked softly. Normally, the stubborn dog demon would have refused her help, but tonight, with no one else but her around and both his of shoulders throbbing with agony, he nodded gratefully. Kagome took his rough callused hand in her small smooth one. It was almost too dark to see, and Inuyasha felt as if the pain had dulled his senses, for he couldn't hear or smell anything either. Kagome led him gently to where her backpack still lay on the ground, and rummaged through it for something.

"Ah-ha!" She cried out triumphantly, as she drew out one of the strange modern devices she had called a 'flashlight.' Kagome clicked it on, then gasped as her eyes fell upon a human with long black hair, violet eyes, and a large katana by his side. "I-inuyasha! You're human!" And it was so. The previous half-youkai looked down at himself in surprise. He hadn't noticed that today was the new moon, nor had he felt the usual tingling sensations of his change in the face of their previous problem. Now, as Kagome shined the flashlight at him, he groaned in dismay. How could he not have noticed that today was the new moon! But at least they were relatively safe, and most youkai would not bother him tonight.

Inuyasha was interrupted from his thoughts by the tug of Kagome's soft, delicate hand, pulling him towards her. With a surprising amount of strength for a young girl, she urged him to lay down in front of her on a blanket that she had spread out on the ground.

"Come on, Inuyasha, I'm going to see if I can ease the strain your shoulder and arm muscles must be feeling after lifting such a heavy load. You had to stand there with me on your shoulders for an awfully long time." Kagome smiled at him as she spoke, and lightly put her fingertips on his shoulders. "I must admit, I'm actually kind of glad that you're human tonight, that means you won't resist everything I do like your usual stubborn self." She smiled apologetically at him, to let Inuyasha know she was joking, then started to massage his sore shoulders smoothly.

At the first touch of her hands, however, Inuyasha winced and jerked away in discomfort. Every single touch aggravated his shoulders to a raw burning sensation that made him want to tear something apart. He tried not to make a sound, but the intense pain forced him to let out a low moan of pain from his throat, alerting Kagome to the fact that even her light touch hurt his abused shoulders.

"Oh my goodness! Inuyasha, did I hurt you?" She cried out in distress. Inuyasha tried to shake his head, no, but in the light of the flashlight, Kagome could tell his face was distorted with pain. "Oh, poor poor Inuyasha. I'm so sorry! Here, let me take a look, and maybe I can rub something on it to make it less painful." She rifled through her backpack again and brought out her first aid kit, which her mother had been thoughtful enough to buy for her. She gently pulled off the top of Inuyasha's fire-rat coat, and examined his shoulders carefully. There were visible red marks on where Kagome's sneakers had rested on his skin, and even an inexperienced girl could tell they had been strained.

Without a word, Kagome took out a jar of salve from the kit and started to smooth the healing ointment over his shoulders. Inuyasha lay on his stomach, relaxing as he felt her cool smooth hands rub the thick balm into his skin. A drop of something wet fell on his back, and he started, wondering at what it was. He turned around and looked at Kagome, only see she was sitting on her knees, head bowed low, with rivers of tears running silently down her cheeks.

"She's crying? Why?" He wondered. He put an uncertain hand on her arm, and asked softly, "Kagome, why are you crying?"

The girl from the future tried to stop her tears, but they flowed even harder at the sound of his mild, confused tone of voice. "Be-because, you're hurt. I'm the r-reason you're suffering right now. If I wasn't so heavy, and if I hadn't been wearing sneakers, you wouldn't have been hurt. I'm so sorry Inuyashaaaaaa!!!" She sobbed, and at her last word, she flung herself into his arms, careful of touching his bruised shoulders.

Inuyasha was pleasantly surprised at the girl's touching answer. Kagome was crying, for him? Never before had anyone expressed any emotion towards him, other than anger and disgust. Now, this young miko was actually crying because he was hurt! His heart swelled at the thought, and he hugged Kagome tightly, stroking her soft black hair.

"Kagome," Inuyasha whispered in her ear, "it's not your fault. Please don't cry." He slowly brought his free hand up to her chin, and tilted it slightly so that she was looking at him. "Kagome." She raised her tear-stained face and looked at him. Unable to decide how to put his feelings into words, he leaned ever closer to her face and gently brushed his lips over her left cheek, wiping away her tears and silencing her with a soft kiss. "Don't be sorry, Kagome. I would rather endure lifting a thousand pounds on my shoulders than see you cry once." These eloquent words brought a bashful smile to Kagome's face, and she nodded, looking away shyly.

Kagome silently dried her remaining tears, and without a sound, continued to wrap cloth bandages around his shoulders to keep them clean. Inuyasha smiled inwardly, seeing how effective his kiss had been, and decided to thank her with another one. This one was on her cherry lips, and she responded back softly yet intensely. Her cheeks stained a deep shade of red in the yellow glow of the flashlight, and her lips quirked upward momentarily.

The two lay down next to each other on separate sleeping bags, and fell asleep to dream sweet dreams and await the dawn of the coming morning. 

A/N: Aww, isn't that sweet? Sorry that Inu-chan had to suffer, but Kagome made him feel all betta! Yay! Inu/Kag forever!


	10. Ministrations at Midnight

Disclaimer: Roses are read, violets are blue, I don't own Inu-chan, so please don't sue!

Author's Note: Ohayo minna-san! Hope you like this chapter! There's some fluff, and a bit of humor. Please review! Warning: There's a new character that's going to enter the story in the next chapter! Please continue reading! And much thanks to **totally-wicked** for her review! Arigatou! Your encouragement keeps me going!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 10

During the late hours of the night, when the sky was painted a shade of midnight black and none but small wood creatures stirred outside, Kagome was awoken by the sounds of someone groaning softly next to her. She glanced at her watch, which glowed with an eerie green light. It was exactly 12:04. She sat up, easing the blanket off her and looking around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the cave. There was a small lantern in the corner of the cave, which cast a small ring of light upon the form of a human sitting a few feet away. Inuyasha was kneeling on his sleeping bag, without a top shirt on, doubled over and rocking back and forth. His left hand was rubbing his right shoulder softly, and from the back of his throat came soft noises of pain.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome whispered softly, "Are you okay?" The aforementioned dog-demon started at hearing her voice. He had tried to stay silent to prevent the sleeping girl next to him from awakening, but she had heard him anyway.

"Go to sleep, Kagome." He answered in a gruff voice, trying to hide his pain from her penetrating gaze. He turned around sharply, putting his back to face her, but the quick and sudden movement caused another sharp stab of fresh agony to twist into his shoulder, and he made a low sound of discomfort from his chest, sounding almost like a growl. Inuyasha held his breath and stroked his shoulder, trying not to cry out loud. As a human, he had a much lower endurance for pain, and right now, his shoulders were aching excruciatingly. 

Kagome inched closer to him and whispered regretfully, "Do your shoulders still hurt?" Inuyasha inhaled sharply as another wave of pain racked his bent-over body, then nodded weakly. He was loath to admit his weakness, preferring to endure the pain alone, but Kagome was sympathetic and comforting. "Don't worry, by morning, you'll be a demon again, and your shoulders will heal. In the meantime, do you want me to massage them, so that they'll feel a bit better?"

Inuyasha shrugged. Kagome took his answer as a yes, and crawled over to him and gently pushed him onto his stomach. Using soft, gentle hands, Kagome slowly worked his abused skin and muscles, feeling him tense up and then relax as she moved over his entire back. Unlike last time, her hands did not hurt his shoulders, instead, they soothed his pain and made them feel less strained. She lingered over certain areas of his body, massaging them until she felt the tight knots of his muscles slowly loosen up. Inuyasha closed his eyes under her gentle actions, and Kagome smiled softly as she felt his taut nerves slowly but surely relax. He leaned on his stomach, eyes closed, and looked so peaceful that one would not be able to recognize him as the suspicious demon that had been released from the sacred tree months before.

As he lay there and enjoyed Kagome's gentle movements, Inuyasha thought to himself, "I just realized something. This is the first new moon in all my years of living that I've ever relaxed! Usually, I always go and hide in a cave or tree, alone and frightened. But now, Kagome's here, and- " He paused and thought for a second, "Being around her makes me feel…comfortable. My shoulders don't hurt that much anymore. I like laying here, breathing her wonderful scent, feeling her soft hands caress my skin- Gah!!! What am I thinking! Get your mind off Kagome, you baka!" He berated himself angrily, "She's just here to help me detect the shards! I don't like her at all! Or do I…?" He tried to restrain his temper and avoid hitting himself on the head.

"Um, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked tentatively, "What are you thinking about?" Inuyasha turned around to face her and automatically snapped back, "You." Kagome 

looked at him, shocked, and Inuyasha realized his fatal mistake. He panicked, and growled quickly, "What! No, I wasn't, I was thinking about, ah, you know, you and, like, e-everyone in our group." He stammered out with a frenzied look on his face.

Kagome smiled at him indulgently, not believing him, yet willing to save his pride, said with a shrug, "Okay, sure." She continued massaging his shoulders, unperturbed, but Inuyasha was no longer relaxed, although his shoulders felt much better. He sat up abruptly, and drew away, feeling uncomfortable about his admittance.

"You know, you shouldn't get any ideas into your head. I wasn't really thinking about you specifically, I wasn't just thinking about everybody I know in general." Inuyasha continued, determined to salvage the remains of his stubborn pride. Kagome just nodded, and stood up, secretly laughing at him inside her head.

"Well, there's only a couple more hours left until dawn, and you'll turn back to a demon then, so I'll just see if I can catch some more sleep until Shippou comes back with help." Kagome said to him, and she lay back down on her sleeping bag. Inuyasha followed her example, and was about to drift off to sleep when a soft whisper reached his human ears, "Inuyasha, are you asleep yet?" Kagome was still awake.

"No, not anymore. What do you want?" He asked sleepily. Kagome asked him whom he thought Shippou would bring back to help them escape. "I dunno, probably Sango and Miroku." The two other members of their group had split apart from Inuyasha and Kagome about a week ago, heading south to find a demon that was heard to be close to Sango's own village. The youkai was rumored to be weak, and the two thought they were capable of handling it on their own. Besides, the female exterminator wanted to check on her own friends and relatives, and the lecherous monk was more than willing to accompany her.

Kagome frowned in the darkness, and asked, "But do you think they'll be able to move the rock pile in front of the entrance? Even with Miroku's Air Rip? And if not, how will they get us through the hole? What if we can't fit through it!"

"We'll see. 'cross the bridge when we come to it," Inuyasha murmured drowsily, "G'night, Kag'me…" He muttered, before the exhausted dog demon fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"Good-night, my Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, half-to herself, half-to Inuyasha. She was unaware that she had called him 'hers.' "Sleep well."

  



	11. Another Dangerous Cave in

Disclaimer: Wahh!!! I don't own Inuyasha and co.!!!!!! I'm so sad!

Author's Note: Here's Chapter 11! Hope ya'll like it! I'd like to thank my reviewers, Anzu-chan and Hanyou Hugger, for their encouragement! Arigatou! Oh, by the way, I have 6 reviews! I'm hoping to reach 10!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 11

Dawn came to the western lands, allowing the radiant sun to slowly rise up from its slumber, blushing fiercely and tinting the calm skies with pink and gold. As morning came, rays of sunlight spread out in all directions, spreading over Musashi's Domain and waking up all living creatures. A mischievous sunbeam floated across a certain small cave, where it peeked through a small hole in the roof and danced about, warm, ticklish fingers that brushed across the sound-asleep faces of two people, who were lying side by side on two blue sleeping bags.

During the course of the late night, two shivering humans had unconsciously rolled and twisted about until they lay like spoons, snuggled closely next to each other to retain warmth in the chilly, damp air of the musty cave. A shaft of sunshine now warmed their sleeping figures as they slept, unaware of the arriving morning. Unfortunately for the sleeping souls, the sun was not the only one who caught Kagome and Inuyasha sleeping side by side. Light steps sounded above the cave, and three shadows fell over the earth, blocking out the sun.

"Mmm, Sango, shouldn't we wake them up?" A childish voice inquired softly. 

"No, Shippou, I think we should just stay here and see how long these two love-birds are going to cuddle up to each other," an amused masculine voice answered quietly. "What do you say, Sango?"

The woman toward whom the question had been directed answered grumpily, "Humph. We almost kill ourselves trying to get here as quickly as possible, traveling all night, only to arrive to see the two people that were supposed to be in danger sleeping soundly, like babies, in no hurry whatsoever."

"Aww, poor Sango. Are you upset because you missed your beauty sleep? Or jealous because of your lack of a sleeping companion? If that is the case, I shall be happy to provide my services and accompany-" 

The speaker's voice was cut off by a loud thump, then a resigned voice saying, "Pervert."

Miroku, for it was this monk who had 'offered himself as a sleeping companion,' rubbed his head and whined, "Oww! Lady Sango, please do not be offended. I was merely hoping to- "

Sango interrupted him with a infuriated look on her face, "Houshi-sama, I don't want to hear your excuses!" Her loud, angry voice had woken up the sleeping couple, who had immediately jumped two feet apart.

"Hey, no fair! Look what you two did! Now they're awake!" Shippou complained petulantly, as he looked down on Inuyasha and Kagome, who were sitting on the ground with dark, red, embarrassed faces.

"Umm, hi guys." Kagome offered up to the angry trio, who stopped their petty argument and looked down through the hole.

"Ah! Kagome-sama! Did you and Inuyasha enjoy your night together?" Miroku asked with an insinuating voice. He was awarded with another thump on the head with Sango's giant boomerang, Hiraikotsu. The demon exterminator rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like 'lecherous priest' under her breath, then smiled happily down at her friend.

"Kagome-chan, we're so glad you're safe! We came here as fast as we could when Shippou told us what happened." She smiled gratefully at the proud fox cub, their previous argument forgotten.

Shippou puffed up his small chest and said proudly, "Yep! I went as fast as I could! I saved you, didn't I, Kagome?" He demanded giddily, whirling about in satisfaction.

"Yes, Shippou, thank you for saving me," Kagome giggled at his antics, and smiled warmly at them all, "So, what are we waiting for, let's get out of here, shall we?" She looked at Inuyasha, who was currently studying his toe as if it were the most important thing on earth. "Hey, Inuyasha, do your shoulders still hurt?" She asked anxiously. 

"No," was the half-youkai's abrupt answer. He had changed back from his human form the moment the sun had risen, and so had had ample time to heal with his demon blood. He hesitated, then said gruffly, "Kagome." 

She turned and looked at him, questioningly, yet shy, "Yes?"

"It helped. Your massage. T-thank you." The last two syllables were barely audible, even to Shippou's ears, yet Kagome heard what Inuyasha had said. In an instant, her entire face lit up and shone as bright as a lantern. 

Her features lightened into a beautiful smile, and she looked at him with glistening blue eyes as she said softly, "You're welcome, my Inuyasha." This time, both she and the boy realized what she had called him, and both were very embarrassed. Inuyasha's body jerked in response, startled, while Kagome's cheeks turned into the color of autumn leaves.

Meanwhile, the three rescuers up on top could not hear a single word of what was said, so Miroku yelled down impatiently, "Are you two done with you're sweet talk? We don't have all day, you know."

Inuyasha pulled away, struggling to regain his composure, while Kagome just turned so her face was hidden and began to pack up her backpack. The dog-demon's face was a mask of disdain as he finally turned around and said, "Feh! So how are you going to get us out of here, monk? I bet you don't even have a plan."

Sango furrowed her eyebrows and remarked, "Well, we discussed it before. We were going to try and see if Houshi-sama could move the rock pile for us. You know, with his Air Rip." 

"Why, Sango, if you really want me to, then I will do it. I would do anything for you!" Miroku claimed with an exaggerated bow.

"I want you to shut up." Was Sango's harsh reply. 

Kagome finished packing and hefted up her large backpack with an effort. Inuyasha, seizing the chance to show his normal contempt toward her, sneered derisively and snatched the backpack from her without a struggle, saying, "Feh! Weakling human! I'll hold it." And put it on his shoulder.

The miko wondered if she should be grateful for having someone carry the book-bag for her, or angry because he called her weak. She decided on holding her tongue until they got out of the cave.

Miroku instructed the two prisoners to stay flat against the opposite wall, as far away from the entrance as possible, so that they would not be sucked up by his powerful Air Void. Inuyasha took hold of Kagome's arm and pulled her towards the wall, wrapping his strong arms around her to protect her from any flying debris.

"Are you guys all ready?" Sango called out from above.

Kagome and Inuyasha both glanced at each other, then the girl from the future replied tensely, "Yes, we're ready. Miroku, you can start whenever you're ready." They both felt a deep rumble as the rocks that blocked the entrance started to shift and tremble, as if some invisible force were calling on them to move. The massive, gray rocks slowly rolled away from the cave opening, allowing sunshine to enter from the sides as the entire structure was gradually pulled away.

All of a sudden, there was a loud rumble from above, similar to the first time the cave had collapsed, and Kagome and Inuyasha looked up, startled. Because of the movement of the rocks that blocked the entrance, the already strained roof was now threatening to break. The two were in danger of being crushed to death very soon. Kagome shrieked in horror as a flat piece of rock smashed toward her. With almost no time to think nor act, Inuyasha scrambled forward and tried to hold off the rock until Kagome could run to safety. In the dark dusty air of the cave, a dark shadow streaked by and seemed to pick Kagome off the ground and fly up through the opening in the roof, knocking down small stones from the top that clattered to the ground. With a grunt of effort, Inuyasha threw the stone to the side, and followed the shadow, heartsick with worry over Kagome. He landed on the green hill next to the cave and looked around. There at the top of the hill, was a tall figure that held something limp in its arms. 

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cried out, as he leapt up towards the stranger that carried the unconscious girl. 

A/N: Yay! It's a cliffhanger! (I'm wicked) *readers kill foureyedbookworm* eep! I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger! J 

Another Note: K, now I'm stuck! I'm not sure who the stranger should be! I've had a plea for Sesshoumaru…Anyone else agree or disagree? I don't know who to put in! Will everyone please review and tell me who the mysterious stranger should be? I'll wait until the night of July 28th to count the votes! Please let me know you opinions! Thanks so much! 


	12. Fluffy's the Stranger?

Disclaimer: Heh, heh. No, I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters. I wish I did, though!

Author's Note: I have 14 reviews! I'm so happy! Thank you, Benten and Lightning, for your encouragement! Here's chapter 12, thanks to all of my faithful reviewers! Hope you enjoy! the truth about the mysterious stranger is finally revealed! (Fluffy's here, because of **totally-wicked**'s request!)

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 12

Inuyasha ran up the tall green hill, panting, and tried to figure out who the person was. How had that person stood by, unnoticed, until the last second? How at he moved so quickly to rescue Kagome? And most importantly of all, who was it? The bright sun that was behind the hill cast a dark shadow in front of the figure, enabling whoever it was to hide his identity. Inuyasha continued to rush up the hill, breathing heavily and frantic with worry for the girl in the stranger's arms. He squinted at the dark figure on the hill as he neared it.

Long, silver-white hair billowed out from behind him, identical to his own. An intricate white silk kimono covered with patterns of gold and blue dogs. Smooth, calm face, and an arrogant, relaxed stance. Stripes on the sides of his face and a purple crescent moon on his forehead. Inuyasha look one look at the man as he stopped running, and narrowed his eyes angrily. There was no mistaking that disgusting scent anywhere. 

"Sesshoumaru, you bastard! What are you doing with Kagome? Why are you here? Let go of her and come let me whip that smile off your pretty girl face!" He snarled at his half-brother, Lord Sesshoumaru, Ruler of the Western Lands. The two had always maintained a negative relationship for reasons unknown to anyone. He was quite shocked, in fact, that his half-brother, who was a full-youkai, had saved Kagome, though he definitely possessed the speed and agility to do so.

The pale, indifferent man answered loftily, "This Sesshoumaru does not need an excuse for his actions. Be glad, dear brother of mine, that I saved your pitiful little bitch for you." His bland yet firm tone of voice indicated that this was the end of the discussion, but Inuyasha remained unyielding.

"Give me back Kagome, then answer my question. Why did you save Kagome?" He asked, careful to remain nonchalant, as if he had not cared whether or not she was saved, and was only asking out of curiosity.

"I, Sesshoumaru, the Great Demon of the West, feel no obligation to answer your demands. Begone, brother, before I feel the urge to rip you to pieces for your insolence." He waved a long, clawed hand at his brother, carelessly, as if he was shooing away a troublesome pest.

Inuyasha was growing angrier and angrier at his brother's words, and he shouted angrily, "Tell me, Sesshoumaru! What's your damn purpose!"

Miroku, Sango, and Shippou had finally caught up with him, and as they stopped at the top of the hill, weapons raised, Sango said in a hard voice, "Give us back Kagome-chan, or we'll rip you to pieces." Her hands gripped Hiraikotsu tightly, worried over her friend's health. Miroku and Shippou nodded in agreement as they tensed, ready for battle. Inuyasha crouched down on hands and feet, ready to spring at his brother's throat.

As if in silent agreement, the four rushed towards the waiting demon in one accord. All of a sudden, a small shrill voice rang through the air, "Stop!!!!!!"

Five people halted and turned towards the sound of the childish voice. A small girl with raven-black hair, wearing a cute red kimono and a flower wreath on her head, was running up the other side of the hill. She looked to be about 7 years old, and her wilted chain of daisies was hanging lopsided from her head as she ran. "Please, stop fighting!" she wailed as she neared the group. Inuyasha and his friends had faces of complete shock. How could such an innocent, young girl be running into the midst of a battle? Who was she? Sesshoumaru, however, had a look of resigned annoyance as the girl latched herself onto his left leg and started hugging it.

"Rin. What did I say about interrupting me while I was battling? I told you to stay with Jaken. Why did you disobey my order? " Sesshoumaru asked in a flat tone.

The young girl named Rin looked up at him with a cheery, gap-toothed grin as she answered, "Sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin just wanted everyone to stop fighting because it was Rin's idea to rescue Kagome-chan. Rin doesn't want her friends or Sesshoumaru-sama to get hurt!" she cried in an apologetic voice.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and the others were looking on in amazement at the interaction between Sesshoumaru and Rin. Did this small human child know the cruel, bloodthirsty dog demon? She wasn't afraid of him? Many grown youkai trembled at the mention of his name, yet Rin had called him Sesshoumaru-sama! What was going on?

Miroku voiced all of their thoughts out loud as he said in a confused, amazed voice, "Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" Sango shrugged, Shippou shook his small head, while Inuyasha had his bottom jaw almost touching the ground. He was, to say the least, astonished. His half-brother had constantly stated that humans were weak, frail, despicable, lowly creatures and refused to have anything to do with them. Was Sesshoumaru actually associating with a small human girl? He would have laughed his head off, had the matter not been more serious, for Kagome was still in the youkai's arms. 

As the four companions watched, Rin took the daisy wreath off of her own head and carefully placed it on Sesshoumaru's, who was crouched down beside her in an attempt to convince her to leave. She grinned and said, "Look! Rin made a daisy chain for you, Sesshoumaru-sama! Do you like it? Can we go home now? Can I play with Kagome-nee-chan when we get home?" Bombarded by the girl's incessant questions, the demon lord just sighed and simply said, "Follow me." Carrying the still unconscious miko and allowing the small girl to hold onto his sleeve, he walked away.

It wasn't until both had walked out of sight that Inuyasha came out of his shock and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He looked around, then noticed that his half-brother and the little girl had disappeared. "Hey, he's gone! Where'd he go? He still has Kagome! Come back here, you shitty excuse for a half brother!" The frantic hanyou ran down the hill in the direction that Sesshoumaru had gone, bent on finding and retrieving his Kagome. The three remaining friends looked at each other, shrugged, and followed after him as fast as they could, though still confused.

A/N: How was it? Wait for the next chapter to find out why Fluffy took Kagome with him! More secrets unveiled! Hee, hee ^_~


	13. Braids and Bonding

Disclaimer: _ Wahh!!! I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters! I'm just borrowing them!

Author's Note: Hey peeps! I finished chapter 13! Yay! *celebrates by drinking lots of Sprite* He, he! I'm high on sugar! Bwahahahaha!!! There's some subtle humor involved here. Hope you like it! (Sesshoumaru in braids **is** humor! Duh!) ^_~ Rin is so cute, isn't she! I have 24 reviews! Lots of thanks to Lightning (Gomen, about not allowing Inu-chan to use his sword to get them out) and Benten for reviewing continually! I truly appreciate the encouragement! And all you other readers out there, you better review, or I won't write anymore!!!!! I'm EVILL!!!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! 

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 13

Sesshoumaru, the Great Demon of the Western Lands, was sitting on a short wooden stool that was too small for him. Correction: the noble demon lord was actually hunched over on a small circular seat that was fit for a seven-year-old to sit on, inwardly groaning over the cruel tricks that fate always seemed to play on him.

"K, Sesshoumaru-sama, Rin's done with this side! It's so pretty! Now please turn around so Rin can braid your other pig-tail!" A small happy voice chimed loudly, right next to his sensitive ears. 

Sesshoumaru turned silently and resignedly offered his long white hair to the young eager girl to plait into a thick tress.

Yes, the great, proud dog youkai had lowered himself to allow a small human child to play with his hair. Even more astonishingly, he was actually enjoying it. Not since he was a child had anyone offered to groom his hair for him. As a dog demon, his first instinct was to enjoy being groomed, as his own mother had used to do for him, before she passed away. Without realizing why, Sesshoumaru leaned into Rin's caresses, enjoying and relaxing under the nimble, quick little fingers that ran gently through his hair.

Actually, just being around this human pup relaxed him. Being able to breathe in her scent and hear her steady heartbeat calmed him down more easily than a strong cup of green tea. Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, using his sharp senses to pick out the sound of someone's footsteps tap-tapping along the empty corridors. It was accompanied by the sound of something wooden scraping the white marble floor and some occasional low muttering. Sesshoumaru bolted up from his position, scrambling around and hiding things, trying to hide any evidence of the fact that he had been playing with Rin. 

But it was too late to stop Jaken from seeing him. A small, green toad wobbled into the room, and his eyes bulged out and jaws slackened at the sight of his usually dignified master standing there, with two braided pig-tails, tied at the ends with pink ribbons and laced with flowers. The ugly toad stood there, speechless. Rin had not noticed Sesshoumaru's servant arrive, so she continued rooting through her box of accessories, looking for something to "decorate Fluffy-chan's pretty hair."

Sesshoumaru drew himself up to his full height, managing to look somewhat impressive, despite the braids in his hair, and asked in a calm tone of voice, as if it were perfectly normal for Jaken to find his master like this, "Ahem. Jaken. Do you have something to say to me? Or shall I kill you for interrupting me for no reason. Speak up!"

"H-hai, Sesshoumaru-sama. Please don't hurt me! I just came here to tell you that the miko you rescued has woken up! She found she couldn't escape from the window or door and started throwing a tantrum. She's broken everything in the room and has made a mess. This lowly one thought it wise to alert you, master, before she did any more damage." The alarmed toad made several clumsy bows, trembling in fear.

Rin looked up upon hearing Jaken's words, and pleaded, "Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama, can I please go and play with Kagome-chan? Please?" She latched onto his sleeve, tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. 

Sesshoumaru sighed. He nodded, and led her toward the guest room where the girl was staying. As he strode silently through the cool, stone halls, he wondered to himself, "How did I ever get into this mess?" ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This morning, Rin had wandered off to pick some flowers, with Jaken squawking noisily behind her, as a bodyguard, and Sesshoumaru strolling absently behind them. Rin finally settled down near a small cave, and was happily picking pansies and violets from the green grassy field when Sesshoumaru suddenly tensed and looked at the cave intently. He could smell his worthless half-brother and his wench inside, but on closer inspection, noticed that they were trapped inside the cave, though both were asleep at the moment. He quickly looked over the pile of rocks at the entrance, then through the small hole at the top. If there was any disturbance to the structure blocking the cave mouth, he knew the entire cave would collapse. 

He called to Rin, "Rin, let's go." He started to stride away, but Rin was absorbing in her task, and did not hear him. "Rin. We have to leave. The cave will collapse and there are two people in it." He repeated again, tightly. Rin looked up, worried, but then became curious and asked, "Who's in the cave, Sesshoumaru-sama? Will they be able to get out if the cave falls down on them?"

Sesshoumaru was feeling slightly more verbose than usual, so he replied with a snort, "It's my half-brother Inuyasha and his woman. She's a miko. Her name's Kagome, I think. They'll be able to take care of themselves. If not, then that's too bad for them. Come on, Rin, we have to leave."

Rin cried out, "Oh no! Kagome-chan is in there?!?! We have to save her! I don't want her to get hurt!"

Sesshoumaru felt mild surprise at the fact that Rin knew his brother's wench, and asked, "Rin, how do you know who she is?"

Rin told him how she had met Kagome at a river a while back, and they had got along very well. Rin had had much fun playing with the teenage girl, and considered Kagome her best friend or sister afterwards. "I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you, Sesshoumaru-sama. But please, we have to save her if the cave collapses! Will you, please? I love Kagome-nee-chan like an older sister, and I don't want her to get hurt!" Rin looked at him with a desperate, pleading look, and she had begged him so hard than he finally relented.

"Alright. I'll stay here and rescue your friend if the cave falls. But you must promise me to stay on the other side of the hill, with Jaken, and not leave from there, until I tell you that it is safe." Sesshoumaru uttered in a stern voice.

"Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama!" she smiled sweetly up at him, "Rin will be a good girl and wait until her Fluffy-chan rescues Kagome-chan. And can Rin play with Kagome-nee-chan afterwards? Please?" She begged.

"We'll see." Sesshoumaru had said, hearing three people coming towards them. "Jaken!"

"Hai, master?"

"See that Rin stays clear of the cave-in. If you fail to keep her safe, you will pay with your own life." The demon lord commanded in a cold voice.

Jaken shivered as he scraped the floor with his forehead, hearing his master's threat, and answered, "H-hai, Lord. This undeserving humble servant will obey Sesshoumaru-sama's commands."

So, Sesshoumaru had waited, unseen and unheard, using a stealth charm, until the cave collapsed. He had flew in through the hole in the roof and saved the life his brother's wench, all for Rin. After her plead, he had brought the unconscious girl to his castle, to allow Rin to play with her when she awoke. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*end of flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Sesshoumaru-sama! We're here! Can Rin go in and see Kagome-chan now?" Rin's eager voice inquired excitedly, disrupting his thoughts. The young child was jumping up and down, enthusiastic about meeting her friend. He gave a barely perceptible smile at her impatience, opened the door for her, then hesitantly walked in after her, uncertain of how the girl would treat him.

A/N: Hee, hee. Small cliffhanger! Sorry, I couldn't resist! Wait for the next chapter to find out what happens with Sesshoumaru and Kagome! ^ u ^ 


	14. Permission Granted! in an unmilitary way

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Inuyasha characters! But you can give them to me as a Christmas present, if you like! ^_~

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long to write! I've been very busy this week, and I will be busy for the rest of this month, so chapters may not be uploaded as quickly as they used to. I'm really sorry! I'll try to write as often as possible! This chapter is dedicated to my friend Jennifer, also known as totally-wicked! She's given me so much encouragement and lots of help these past few weeks! Without her, Sesshoumaru never would have appeared in this story! So all you Fluffy fans out there, go build a shrine to totally-wicked! Um, I'd also like to thank chickittychick for recommending my story to all her readers. Her story is called _An Unexpected Destiny_, and it's pretty good, I suggest that you all read it. I'm also up to 30 reviews, which I'm very happy about, thanks to chickittychick, Crystallord, Nako-chan, Lightning, totally-wicked, and Anzu-chan! Arigatou, you guys! Thanks so much to everyone who's read my story so far, and I'm sorry that this author's note has been very long! You can go on and read my story now! Enjoy!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 14

Rin pranced into the room where Kagome was currently in, and cried out happily, "Kagome-chan! I'm so glad to see you again! I-" She stopped abruptly and looked around the room. The entire place was a mess. The blankets were in a bundle on the floor. The mirror had a large crack down the middle where a flying glass cup had hit it a while ago. There were hairbrushes, soap, clothes, and other things scattered about the blue carpeted floor. And on the bed in the corner, Kagome was sprawled haphazardly over the cream-colored mattress on her stomach, sobbing miserably. Rin could see her disheveled hair, rumpled clothes, and shaking frame as the teenager slowly leveled herself off the bed and stared at the young child dully.

Kagome was a wreck. She had woken up to find herself in a strange room, with no one there and no idea of where she was. There were no windows, the door was locked, and no matter how loud she screamed, nobody answered. She was angry at first, mad that anyone had dared to lock her up. She had rummaged through all the drawers and wardrobes, and made the entire room look as if a tornado had swept through it. The furious young woman had tosses as many objects as she could, flinging them around the room and breaking anything of value that had been placed there. But she slowly lost her fury and was left with a sense of despair and impending doom. Whoever had put her in this room had enough humor to provide her with suitable clothes, useful accessories, beautiful decorations, yet neglected to give her the key to leave her room. Kagome flung herself onto the bed and cried. She had sobbed and sobbed until her chest ached, and now there were still rivulets of tears running silently down her pale cheeks.

Rin took one look at the suffering girl and ran to her, wrapping two skinny arms around Kagome's waist, as far as they could go, and buried her head in Kagome's stomach, saying, "Kagome-nee-chan, don't cry! Please don't cry! See, Rin's here now to make everything all betta! Don't feel sad, onee-chan, 'cause when you feel sad you make Rin cry too!" 

The older girl smiled sadly through her tears, and asked softly, while stroking Rin's back, "Hey Rin. What are you doing here?"

"Rin lives here, Kagome-chan! Now you can live here too, with me n' Sesshoumaru-sama, and be Rin's big sister forever and ever! I always wanted a big sister like you, Kagome-chan!" The child clapped her hands enthusiastically, and grasped Kagome's hand in her own, smiling encouragingly at her, "Kagome-nee-chan, will you stay here and play with Rin? Rin's so bored here, even though I have Sesshoumaru-sama to play with me. Now you can play with me too!"

Kagome looked down, startled, "Sesshoumaru-_sama?!?!_" She looked up, and finally noticed the demon lord who was standing unobtrusively in the corner. Sesshoumaru had no expression on his face, as usual, but his stiff posture did not seem threatening. Rather, it excluded an air of warmth and protection, though she couldn't go too far as to say he acted friendly. Kagome was reassured by the non-aggressive pose he had taken, and did not become frightened, though she was a bit apprehensive. "Rin," she spoke in a disbelieving voice, "You live with Sesshoumaru?!?!?" 

"Hai, Kagome-chan!" Rin answered in a loving voice, looking at her guardian with adoration. "Sesshoumaru-sama is so kind to me! I just know he'll let you stay here and play with me!"

Kagome looked toward the dog-youkai, who showed no signs of having heard what Rin had said. He stood as still as a statue, unmoving. Kagome couldn't bear to disappoint Rin, who was eagerly awaiting her answer, so she dried her tears and cleared her throat. Deciding that she would stay with Rin a few days before leaving to find Inuyasha and her friends, the miko from the future nodded. Even with tattered school uniform and tear-stained cheeks, she looked elegant as she gracefully lowered herself, bowed once to Sesshoumaru, and said in a smooth, polite tone, "If Lord Sesshoumaru allows, I will gladly accompany Rin for a few days and take part in your hospitality."

Sesshoumaru gave a slight nod, and said in a crisp voice, "I shall have servants show you to a new room. You may do as you wish around my home as long as you do not leave the castle grounds. I expect you to amuse Rin and tend to her while you are here. If you displease her or me, you will be punished." He did not act upset or intimidating, he spoke as if he were merely stating facts. The demon lord waited until Kagome gave a slight tilt of her chin, before turning about with a swish and leaving the room. 

Rin cheered, and tugging on Kagome's hand, saying, "Kagome-chan! Will you come play with me now?"

"Of course, Rin-chan!" Kagome replied with her normal bright smile, "What would you like to do right now?"

"Um, can we go to the gardens to pick flowers? Rin wants to make a bouquet of flowers for my Fluffy-chan because Rin loves him so much!"

Kagome giggled at Rin's nickname for the stern dog-demon, then led her out of her room and followed her to the flower gardens.

A/N: Heh, heh! Sorry, nothing much happened in this chapter, but don't worry, more excitement, humor, and fluff to come! Keep on reading! Please review, or feel free to email me at seashells_by_the_seaside@hotmail.com!


	15. Forget Me Not

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! Wahhh! *tears*

Author's Note: Gomen nasai, everyone, for taking so long with this chapter. It's a bit shorter than usual, but you'll all have to deal with it! Sorry! ^_^ I got the meanings of flowers from a florist's website. It's quite interesting… Lot's of thanks to AcidBlood1134, totally-wicked, and Thunk for reviewing! Please continue reviewing, minna-san! I've gotten 33 reviews! I'm so happy that ya'll like my story! I need at least 3 more for this chapter! Anyway, enjoy the story!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 15

Kagome and Rin were sitting happily on an elegant cherry-wood bench in the garden, chatting animatedly about all kinds of things. It was late morning, and the sun was beating relentlessly on top of their identically colored black hair. Rin was receiving an impromptu lesson on the meanings and histories of various types of flowers that the two girls had picked from the garden, which were now spread over their laps and the remaining space of the bench for Rin to examine.

"Ferns represent magic. Violets are for modesty. White carnations stand for sweet innocence. Lilies are for beauty and cattails are for peace and prosperity. Heathers stand for admiration or protection. Irises stand for hope. Chrysanthemums stand for truth, and daises symbolize purity and loyal love. There are many different meanings for roses, depending on the color, but most stand for love and happiness." Kagome explained in a sing-song, lecturing voice as she pointed to each type of flower that she named.

Rin looked down at the flowers in her lap, and nodded wisely in understanding, then asked, "Kagome-chan, what kind of flowers are these?" She pointed at a cluster of delicate forget-me-nots lying in her lap. Kagome picked them up and looked at them. "They're called forget-me-nots," she paused and blushed, saying softly, "They represent true love."

"Oooh!" Rin squealed, not noticing her friend's sudden embarrassment, "Rin wants to pick some of these flowers for Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin loves Sesshoumaru-same sooooo much!" She giggled, and looked at Kagome, as if looking for approval.

Kagome smiled indulgently at the small girl, and said gently, "Rin, I don't think your love for Sesshoumaru is the same kind of love that this flower stands for. You see- " The miko stopped, unable to explain the difference between true love and a child's pure devotion. She thought to herself, "Who am I that I can judge whether Rin's love is true? I haven't even ever had a relationship with anyone (except Inuyasha), so how do I explain what true love is to this innocent, pure girl?"

Rin frowned thoughtfully, then pouted, "But Kagome-chan, I really do love Sesshoumaru-sama! If that's not true love, then what is?"

Kagome took a deep breath, and tried to explain from her own experience. "Well, Rin-chan, it's like this." She thought about her feelings for Inuyasha, who was the closest she ever had to a real boyfriend. (Hojo didn't count; he was too naïve to even be able to feel true love for anyone.) "When you truly love somebody, it's like your whole life revolves around that one person. You feel as if your heart will burst if that person just smiles at you, and you feel like the world is ending when that person is mad at you. You'll give up everything important to you just to spend time with the one you love. You'll do anything to protect him, to save his life, even if it means sacrificing your own. True love isn't common, this kind of thing doesn't happen everyday. It takes trust, loyalty, friendship, and deep bonds to form true love. And once it begins, it's like a rushing waterfall. Nothing can stop it. You'll love him forever, even if it's unrequited."

Kagome poured her heart and soul into her words, thinking of Inuyasha. Rin looked up at her with solemn, round, wide eyes. "Really, Kagome-chan?" Kagome nodded silently, then shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Well, Rin-chan, since you really want to pick flowers for Sesshoumaru, we better go and pick some roses, ne?" She smiled brightly, deliberately steering the subject towards safer shores. The two girls got up and walked down the stone path, towards a patch of roses that were growing in the center of the garden. Rin soon forgot their previous conversation, though Kagome's own words continued to ring over and over in her ears. True love? What was true love? The young budding priestess would soon find out for herself.

In the shadows of the tall oaks trees, a dark figure was standing behind the thick tree trunk. He had been hiding there all along. Sesshoumaru had a thoughtful look on his face as he pondered the girl's conversation. His brow furrowed and he pursed his lips, trying out the two words that his mouth hadn't uttered together in over a century.

"True…love…"


	16. Shippou and a Silver Bracelet

Disclaimer: *through a loudspeaker* Attention, all Inuyasha fans. Attention. I do not own Inuyasha. I repeat: I do not own Inuyasha. Thank you for your attention. Have a nice day.

Author's Note: OMG! I got 52 reviews! That's like, unbelievable! I'm so happy that so many people like my story! Keep reading! There's more good stuff to come! I really want to thank Thunk, who reviewed every single chapter, from 1-15. (And, if I may add, they were nice, long comments, too!) I really appreciate it! Also, lots of thanks to LilFoxGirl, Queen, demon-heiress, and totally-wicked! Okay, now read the story, then click on the little lavender button in the bottom and REVIEW! ^_^ 

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 16

"Kuso!" A loud angry shout reverberated over and over again throughout the land. A couple of robins flew chattering from the tree they'd been nesting in. Inuyasha was currently smashing his fist against a tree trunk as he ranted and raved like a madman against his brother, after losing Kagome and Sesshoumaru's scent for the third time that day. The group was standing by the edge of a shallow, rushing river. They had followed the dog-demon for five hours, ever since the western lord had kidnapped Kagome this morning. All of them were exhausted. Kirara, who had done her best to keep up with the adrenaline-high Inuyasha all day, flopped down onto the ground, reverted back to a small, two-tailed kitty, and closed her eyes under the shade, tired from carrying two humans and a kitsune cub more than halfway across the land. The said humans had also collapsed by a nearby tree trunk and were leaning against it, side by side, too weary to think of Kiroku's lecherous hands, which, surprisingly, kept to themselves as they rested. Shippou was already asleep, having curled up into a small orange ball next to the fire-cat demon as soon as she had lain down.

Inuyasha was the only one still active, though there were a few signs of fatigue on his face, showing that the five hours of constant speedy movement had also taken a toll on his body. Being a half dog-youkai, he had attempted to track Sesshoumaru's route by smell, but this method had proved somewhat inefficient. Though the demon lord was unable to fly while carrying two humans, one of whom was unconscious, he nevertheless managed to walk in a twisting, winding path that threw Inuyasha off his track many a time today. Wading through a shallow river was one way to hide his scent, making it almost near impossible for Inuyasha to determine which way he had gone.

As Inuyasha put his nose to the ground, crouching like a hunting hound, sniffing and muttering to himself, Miroku opened one eye and asked, "Any luck, Inuyasha?" The monk may have questionable motives where beautiful women were concerned, but he considered Kagome as a friend, and was a worried about her as the rest of her friends were. Inuyasha growled in answer, indicating that he was not having any luck. 

Apparently, Shippou was not as sound asleep as he appeared, for he spoke up in a petulant voice, "This is the third time today that dog-boy lost the scent! We'll never be able to find Kagome!" "And I'm hungry." he added as an afterthought.

Inuyasha bristled at Shippou's accusation, but he was too occupied to do anything physical to the kitsune, so he just snapped angrily, "I'm doing the best I can, dammit! I didn't ask my shitty excuse for a half-brother to make so many stupid detours and turns and river crossings! Why don't you try smelling where Kagome is, brat, see if you can do any better!"

"Fine, jerk! I will! It's not like you're getting anywhere with that shabby nose of yours anyway! I'll go look around on my own!" Shippou sprang up from Kirara's side, eliciting a startled meow from his temporary sleeping companion. He scrambled off into the nearby bushes, pausing once in a while to sniff at the ground, copying Inuyasha's four-legged crouching posture. 

Sango looked at his disappearing busy tail and warned, "Don't go beyond shouting distance, Shippou! And come back soon!"

"I will! Don't worry!" A faint voice cried back!

Inuyasha stuck his chin into the air and said, "Feh! It's not like I'm going to worry about that brat anyway. He'll probably come back in a couple in minutes; he won't find anything."

Miroku sighed at the hanyou's stubborn attitude, and shrugged offhandedly, "Who knows. This is the third time we've stopped, and as they say, three's a charm."

Sango stood up, stretched, looked up at the sky and frowned worriedly, "Well, if we don't find any sign of Kagome-chan soon, we'll have to stop searching and go find a village instead. We didn't bring any food or bedding with us, and we can't sleep on the bare ground or in a tree like you, Inuyasha."

"I agree, Sango. I believe I am correct in assuming that we are all hungry, and it doesn't help to search on an empty stomach. If we eat something and rest tonight, it'll be less tiring for us to continue tomorrow. I'm sure that the residents of any nearby town would be glad to provide us with food and lodging in exchange for my humble services as a monk." Miroku remarked smoothly.

Inuyasha snorted rudely at his words, then proceeded to sniff at the ground. Sango closed her eyes again and relaxed, unconsciously brushing her arms against Miroku's. The demon exterminator did not notice the accidental contact, but the priest, unfortunately, was completely aware of her movement, and took it as an invitation to grope her again. As a hand slowly sneaked itself under her arms and grasped her right breast, Sango turned a deep shade of maroon and glared at him. Miroku turned on his I'm-innocent smile on full blast, but Snago did not seem to be affected. 

She had a furious look on her face as she enunciated each syllable slowly and meaningfully, " Get. Your. Hand. Off. Me. Houshi-sama." There was an audible death-threat in her voice, and even Inuyasha shivered at her tone, but Miroku either didn't notice it or chose to ignore it.

"Who, me?" Miroku smiled disarmingly at the enraged taiji-ya, but this only served to infuriate Sango all the more. She brought her other hand up and was just about to deliver a loud hard slap to his cheek when a sharp, excited voice carried to them from beyond the bushes.

"Inuyasha, everyone! Come here, quick! I found something!" Everyone jumped up at the sound of the voice. It was Shippou! They rushed towards the sound. The dog-demon was way ahead of them, running as fast as he could, with no regard to the underbrush that he was trampling. Sango and Miroku followed, but since they took care to avoid the vines and brambles in their path, they didn't get entangled in plants, unlike Inuyasha. When Inuyasha finally managed to extricate himself from a mess of thick vines and sharp twigs, he was covered with green plant stains and small cuts. He rushed after the pair, who had gotten ahead of him, and they arrived in front of the kitsune cub at approximately the same time. All three of them looked immediately at Shippou. He had wide eyes, and was speechless in shock, so all he was able to do was to point with a trembling hand towards a large, oily green mulberry bush that was firmly planted in the middle of the clearing.

Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku followed his gaze, and they, too, dropped their jaws in shock. There, dangling precariously on a protruding branch of the mulberry bush, was a swaying silver bracelet that had Kagome's name engraved on it. 


	17. Arriving at the Castle

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha! A really smart genius lady in Japan does… L Wahh!!

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you liked my last chapter! I want to add that all the details of Sesshoumaru's castle would not have been possible without the help of totally-wicked, who told me all this stuff! Arigatou, totally-wicked! You're such a great friend! (And she's jealous 'cause I have 55 reviews ^_^) Hey everyone! Go review her story, _Camp of the Chaotics_, so that she won't be jealous! K? J Thank you, chickittychick, and to answer your plea for fluff, I'm sorry to say that I don't have any fluff in this chapter, but there will be lots in the next chap, maybe… And LilFoxGirl, thanks for reviewing, and yes, this is a Inuyasha/Kagome story! I only got 3 reviews last chapter! I need 5 reviews to continue writing! Enjoy the chapter, and please review!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 17

Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku followed his gaze, and they, too, dropped their jaws in shock. There, dangling precariously on a protruding branch of the mulberry bush, was a swaying silver bracelet that had Kagome's name engraved on it. 

He knew that piece of jewelry well. Many times had he felt it's cool, smooth chain against his bare skin as Kagome rode on his back with her hands draped lightly around his neck. Often he had seen the bright silver bracelet shine lustrously in the light of a full moon as he kept guard while she slept. In the daylight, the sun would catch on the silver and throw beams of dancing light onto the ground as Kagome walked in front of him.

He stared at it now as it hung on the branch, captivated by the beauty of the jewelry. It had round, blue beads that glimmered like pearls, evenly spaced out around the entire linked chain. There were four small silver shapes dangling from the edges, two on each side, that on close inspection resembled dolphins that were leaping into the air. The clasp was intricately designed, disguised so cleverly that it was hard to tell that it had a clasp to open. And the engraving of Kagome's name, etched into a smooth flat piece of shimmering metal in a curling elegant script that looked like calligraphy. 

It had been a present, Kagome had explained, from her mother, for her recent birthday last month. She loved it because of the silver and blue combination, as well as the graceful dolphins that were supposed to represent friendliness and intelligence. The teenage girl would never have parted with it willingly; even Sesshoumaru would have had immense difficulty prying it off of her against her will. So, the only explanation that Inuyasha's flustered mind could come up with was that the youkai-lord had been carrying her in his arms – actually, he only had one arm now – bridal style, and had let Kagome's wrists suspend downward at her side. This way, her hand may have been carelessly scraped against the bushes and caused her bracelet to be pulled off while the miko was still unconscious.

In fact, this was exactly what had happened. Kagome's bracelet had gotten caught on the branch. Of course, the girl herself had no idea that it had occurred. That was why, after while still picking flowers with Rin in the garden, Kagome was appalled to find that her favorite piece of jewelry was missing. She was extremely upset.

"Oh my gosh! Okaa-san's going to kill me! I can't believe I lost that bracelet! It was my favorite one, and it was so pretty, too! This is so not fair! First I'm stuck with traveling with a hanyou with a bad attitude, then I get kidnapped by a full dog-demon _lord _who's like, Mr. Icicle himself, then, to cap it all off, I lose my own birthday present a month after I got it! Kagome burst out, angry and agitated. Rin nodded sympathetically, but didn't say anything as Kagome continued to rant on and on about how much she had liked that bracelet.

Luckily for the girl from the future, although she didn't know it, that bracelet was not lost to her forever.

Inuyasha had taken care to keep the bracelet in a safe place (inside his haori), because he knew how much its owner had liked it. Now, he and the rest of the group were heading west again, now that they had gotten a lead on where Sesshoumaru had gone. Inuyasha was quite certain that they had returned to his brother's castle, but he was unable to concentrate on anything else for the rest of the journey. The reason for this was that Shippou was very proud of his find and kept crowing over and over to anyone that would listen (mainly Kirara) that he was a very good tracker. Having found the bracelet when everyone else had given up, he felt that he had the right to boast about it as much as he wanted.

For the first half-hour, it was cute, at least to Sango. (Inuyasha and Miroku had practice in ignoring the fox cub when it was necessary.) But after repeating the phrase "I saved Kagome" "I saved Kagome" "I saved Kagome" again and again for over a quarter of an hour, Sango became first annoyed, then mad, then downright crazy. 

"Shippou, if you don't shut-up right now and keep your mouth closed for the rest of today, I swear that I will hurt you so bad you won't be able to say a word afterwards except ouch!" Sango screamed. The kitsune looked at her, decided that she was serious, and shut his mouth.

Miroku grinned and began to take advantage of her distraction by inching his hand toward Sango's posterior, but she whirled around and shouted, "Houshi-sama, don't even think of touching me or I'll make sure that you won't be able to help any women bear children for the rest of your life!" o.O 

The lecherous priest got scared by the evil, threatening look on the pissed off demon exterminator was giving him, so he backed away from her and hid behind Inuyasha, who snorted.

There were a few minutes of quiet as the four people walked along, each lost in their own thoughts. Unfortunately, Shippou had nothing else on his mind except the fact that he had found Kagome's bracelet, so he formed a new sing-song chant and began, at first quietly, but gradually growing louder, saying, "I'm better than Inuyasha! I'm better than Inuyasha!" This, of course, got on everybody's nerve's, including Inuyasha, but Sango and Miroku decided not to do anything about it. 

Inuyasha was trying to keep his attention on the three scents that he was following, but finally, the fox kit's constant rambling voice was too much. He turned around and glared at Shippou as he growled, "Look, brat, you may have found Kagome's bracelet, but you never would have gotten there if it weren't for me, so stop bragging, shut-up, and let me think!" Shippou stuck his small pink tongue out at Inuyasha, but the dog-demon had already turned back around, so he didn't notice.

After an hour more of traveling through dense trees and low-lying plants, the forest suddenly cleared, and the tachi found themselves standing on a wide open, grassy plain, and there, in the distance, was a large grey castle that loomed over the entire area like a huge monster. Shippou cowered in Sango's arms, while Inuyasha rumbled low in his chest. The castle suited Sesshoumaru's personality perfectly. It didn't feel evil, like Naruku's castle did, but it gave people a distinct impression of cold, aloof, chilliness. Not to say that the castle wasn't beautiful. Its old-fashioned towers and turrets looked exactly like it had come out of the medieval ages. A huge garden that was dotted with various different colored flowers stood to one side of the castle. There was also a meadow with millions of flowers and a few ponds on the other side of the castle.

So, this was the great Western Lord's home. Inuyasha looked at it with distaste, as if condemning it just for being the home his hated half-brother. He thought, with a tiny tinge of regret, "I could have been the one living in there…" He stopped himself from continuing his thought, and resolutely shrugged his shoulders, motioning to the rest of his friends to follow him. He strode toward the castle as fast as he could without running. They hurried to catch up with him, just as eager to rescue Kagome as Inuyasha was.

About two hundred feet away from the castle entrance, Miroku, who was following about five feet behind Inuyasha, abruptly stopped as if he had hit something. He walked forward again, only to be deterred by an invisible barrier. Sango, Shippou, and Kirara, seeing what had happened to him, rushed up to the barrier to try pushing against it, but to no avail. They were unable to walk a step further.

"Inuyasha! We can't get through!" Miroku called to the dog-demon desperately, as he tried hitting the air in front of him with his staff, which was like hitting a solid brick wall. The hanyou turned around when he heard his name, and walked back to them, passing through the shield as easily as if it wasn't there.

He furrowed his brow, frowned, then sighed heavily, "I should have know there'd be something like this. My father probably put this shield around his castle, when he was still alive, to stop anyone but his family from coming in. It's a magic charm of some kind, that only let's in people of his blood. Since you guys can't get in, I guess you'll have to wait here."

Sango nodded, and Miroku cautioned, "Be careful, Inuyasha. You shouldn't take this too lightly. A youkai is always strongest within his own territory. Try not to confront Sesshoumaru, but if you do have to fight your brother, it might better if you came outside, so we can help you. Whatever you do, make sure Lady Kagome is safe. Good luck."

Inuyasha only nodded, too tense to think of a reply. This was the first time he set foot in his own home, ever since he was born. Only a few childhood memories remained of his ancestral birthplace, but these came flooding back as he walked toward the castle, looking as alone and misplaced as when he was first kicked out of his home by his half-brother, after his mother's death. 

As he neared the wall, he flew up toward the clear glass windows and peered through each one as he went by. At the sixth story, in the eastern wing of the castle, he pressed his nose to the window as he looked into what looked like a bedroom with a single lone figure in it. It was girl with dark black hair, who was sitting dejectedly on the bed, facing the door. He couldn't tell who it was from the back. The person slowly turned around.


	18. Acceptance and Realization

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Inuyasha… Then I could do whatever I wanted with him… (Eww, that that way you sick hentai's!)

Author's Note: After the long wait, here's chapter 18! "Finally", all my readers exclaim! Sorry about the delay! Gomen, gomen! I'll try to write faster next time! Please enjoy! Thanks to: whatsinaname, aBacus, Noodals, chickittychick, LilFoxgirl, and totally-wicked, as always! Keep reviewing! Remember, need at least 5 reviews for the next chapter!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 18

Kagome sighed. Her previous good mood had evaporated, and she was no longer happy to be staying in the castle, although she was treated like an honored guest. She was sitting on a bed in a different room of the castle, having destroyed her previous one during the her fit of anger that morning. The miko was depressed, and her chest ached for something that was unidentifiable yet significant. She sighed again. It was a couple minutes after lunch, which she had spent eating with Sesshoumaru and Rin.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After picking a multitude of flowers from the garden and arranging them into beautiful bouquets, posies, and garlands, Rin and Kagome headed back inside. Thanks to the latter's taste and skill, and the former's enthusiasm, the flowers were placed in strategic locations around the castle to make the dim-lit, chilly place seem quite cozy and comfortable. Then, Rin had dragged the older girl through the hallways, looking for Sesshoumaru so that she could give him the roses that she had picked. Before they had found the elusive demon lord, however, a servant had glided soundlessly up to them and informed them that it was time for dinner, and that "Master Sesshoumaru will be waiting for you at the table. This humble servant will guide you to the banquet hall. Please follow me."

The servant was obviously a youkai, for Kagome could sense its weak yet chilling aura permeate the air around them. It wore a thin black shroud-like cape that trailed along on the floor as it walked away, leading the two human girls behind it. With a dark hood that covered its face and bare feet that made no sound, the diminutive figure seemed like a ominous gravedigger, silent and frightening.

Kagome and Rin followed the servant into a long, impressive room with a long polished wood table standing in the middle. The banquet hall was not a large as Kagome had expected, but it was still big enough to seat at least 50 people. There was a row of elegant, tall, candles that stood unlit on the crisp, immaculate, patterned, white tablecloth. Plates full of delicious food were being carried up to the table by a line of servants. Sesshoumaru was sitting impassively at the head of the table, waiting for the rest of his companions to arrive. He looked for all the world like the king of a large kingdom who was waiting for his meal.

"Yay! Sesshoumaru-sama! Rin's finally found you! Rin has a present for you!" the young girl chanted happily as she ran up to her guardian, clutching the bouquet of roses tightly behind her back, "See! Look! Rin picked these all by herself for you, Sesshoumaru-sama! Do you like them?" So saying, she presented the flowers to him with a cheerful, satisfied flourish. "I picked them especially for you, because Kagome-chan told me that the roses represent love, and Rin loves her Sesshoumaru-sama sooooo much! See!" She spread her small arms wide, to represent how much she loved 'her Sesshoumaru-sama.' Rin frowned at the small space between her two outstretched hands, and frowned. "Ne, that's not big enough!" Her eyes lit up, and she ran over to Kagome, who was standing there, silently amused, as she watched the younger girl's open display of affection. Rin tooks Kagome's hands, and motioned the older girl to spread her hands out, like her. She stood next to her and repeated again, "See? Rin loves Sesshoumaru-sama thiiiiisssssss much!" Sesshoumaru quirked the corners of his lips up in a movement that could barely be considered a smile. 

He took the roses and looked down at the bunch of vibrant plants that he held in his single clawed hand, and said, "Thank you, Rin." That was all. Three words, and a tiny smile. That was all he allowed himself to show to the outside world. Yet inside, the dog demon felt a growing warmth inside his chest, as if a candle had been lit, and was growing brighter, fueled by Rin's faithful words. He felt a rush of emotions that he had not felt in a long time. Happiness. Contentment. Satisfaction. Affection. Tenderness. Love. 

Sesshoumaru finally realized and acknowledged his feelings. He loved this little girl, this mortal who smiled with dimples in her cheeks. This child whose chocolate brown eyes and freckled face beamed up at him whenever she saw him. Rin. Her smile was like a soothing balm that comforted his mind and heart. When she cried, he felt as if his own heart would tear apart in two as he watched the liquid pool in her eyes. He felt a sort of obligation toward her. He cared for her as did a father feel towards his own daughter. He would protect her with his own body and soul. And he would teach her, love her, care for her, for as long as he was able and she willing.

The dog demon had finally come to accept his guardian position after all. He would care for this human girl as Inuyasha took care of Kagome, and when Rin grew older, blossoming into a woman, she might become something else to him as well.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*end of flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a wonderful luncheon, Kagome had retired to her room. Rin had gone somewhere with Sesshoumaru, presumably so that the demon lord could begin his newly acknowledged task as a father. The teenage girl from the future found, that without a distracting little girl by her side, her thoughts wandered towards a certain half-dog demon and her other feudal friends. It had been days since she had last seen them, though she knew for sure that Inuyasha would be rushing here as soon as possible to 'rescue' her. Inuyasha. 

The brief moment of tenderness that they had shared in the cave had sparked something in her that threatening to overflow if she went on any longer without his attention. She was confused about her feelings toward him, and of his toward her. She undoubtedly cared about him, that was for sure, and the hanyou made it obvious that he would risk his life to protect her. Yet, when it came down to the facts, who was he really protecting. Who did he see looking at him every day? Whose hands had he imagined running smoothly down his back? Did Inuyasha really care about her, as Kagome Higurashi, modern teenage high-schooler? Or did he see his former love, Kikyou, every time he laid eyes on her?

It was a question she had yet to answer. And yet, Kagome reflected thoughtfully, turning her thoughts away from her own love life, to ponder the relationship between Sesshoumaru and Rin. Did the demon lord actually have feelings toward Rin? Did he care for her as more than a mere temporary toy? From what Kagome had gathered from their limited conversation at lunch, Sesshoumaru had suddenly realized his paternal duties to Rin as her guardian, and was trying to fulfill his obligations to her by asking Rin to accompany him to the meadows after lunch. 

Kagome giggled at the memory of his stiff posture as he said, after they had finished eating, "Rin, this Sessoumaru would like the pleasure of accompanying you to the meadows to…pick flowers, if you do not object. My brother's woman may do what she wishes in her room for the remainder of the afternoon." 

She sobered. At least she had not been treated as a prisoner, since she was Rin's friend. But when, and if, Inuyasha arrived, the hanyou would probably storm the castle and demand to fight Sesshoumaru, if only for retaliation for kidnapping Kagome. Not that she would allow him. Kagome did not want her recently formed truce with Inuyasha's half-brother to be breached by an angry and pissed off half-demon. The teenage girl had a vague idea in her head that if both she and Rin could appeal to their own dog-demons to stop fighting, they would agree for the sake of their 'women'. She sighed again, for the third time. If only Inuyasha would come. She wanted to see his face, even if it were annoyed at her or his brother. 

A loud tapping at her window broke into her thoughts like shattered glass, and she whirled around on her bed. Long white hair framed a familiar face that was peering through the window, furry ears twitching.

"Inuyasha! I'm so glad to see you!"

A/N: I just want to say, to all Sess/Rin fans, that I'm sorry for not putting any romance between them. But considering that Rin is only seven years old, and Fluffy is, like, twenty or thirty in human years, I think it'd be better if they stay apart (for now). -_- I don't approve of having little children fall in love with adult demon males, you know? So for any of my readers who wanted a romance between Rin and Sesshoumaru, you'll just have to be satisfied with knowing that the two might become a couple, in the future. If you ask politely and nicely, I might just write a side story about those two when I have time! ^_~ *hint, hint, wink, wink* Anyway, review!


	19. A Rescue Attempt

Disclaimer: Nope, sorry, I don't own Inuyasha and co. Isn't that a crushing disappointment?

Author's Note: Hi everyone! In case you were wondering, the reason no one's heard a single word from me for the past four days is that I went to Tennessee on vacation! Did you all miss me? ^_^ Don't worry, I sacrificed my eyesight to my faithful readers and wrote the next three chapters all out while riding on a bumpy charter bus. I just have to type it all up, so be patient! Anyway, so here's chapter 19! Read and review, as always!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 19

Inuyasha watched as Kagome turned around and mouthed his name, her face a beautiful picture of welcome and happiness. The miko ran to the window and opened it, saying excitedly, "Inuyasha! I'm so glad that you're here!"

The dog demon's ears perked up, and his heart thumped with happiness. All he said aloud, though, was, "Feh! So didya miss me?" Kagome blushed and didn't reply, but her expressive azure eyes betrayed her overjoyed emotions. Inuyasha jumped in through the window and landed on the floor, then threw her a cokcy, sparkling grin that would have made any of Kagome's modern girl friends swoon. Kagome blushed an even deeper shade of red, and she let her long black eyelashes flutter down to touch her skin as she stared fixedly at the floor.

Inuyasha stared, as if entranced, at her ruby-colored lips, and shook his head to get his mind off Kagome. He swallowed a couple times to get his throat to work, and finally managed to say in a thick voice, "So…uh, where's Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome cleared her throat, and hurriedly answered, as if glad of the change of topic, "Well, I think he's out in the meadows picking flowers with Rin, but-"

Inuyasha cut off her words by picking her up gently yet swiftly and leaping out the window, causing the startled girl to squeak in surprise. When she regained her composure, she yelled, "Inuyasha," as she squirmed around in his arms, "put me down!"

The hanyou colored at the position they were in, but he said nothing and tightening his grasp upon her as he flew through the sky. "INUYASHA!" Kagome shouted into his sensitive ears, causing him to flinch, "Stop it! Will you please listen to me for once in your life before you go off and get yourself into a mess of trouble!" She desperately thumped her closed fists against the dog-demon's arm, twisting and turning in an effort to get him to let her go.

He growled at her in return, trying to stop the girl from wiggling against his chest before his lost control. "Sesshoumaru better prepare to die. That bastard kidnapped you, and I'm not going to forgive him until I rip him to pieces!" He claimed in a low, determined voice.

"He may have kidnapped me, Inuyasha, but he also saved my life." Kagome chided him gently. "He saved my life at the request of Rin, a little human girl whom he takes care of. I don't think he's really the bloodthirsty and cruel monster that everyone makes him out to be." Inuyasha frowned at Kagome's words, them shook his head fiercely, though he was now doubtful of his decision. Kagome continued thoughtfully, "And I think he actually cares for Rin as a father, or a brother. He didn't try to hurt the entire time I was there. In fact, Sesshoumaru was a very polite host and even provided me with food and a room to sleep in. He allowed me freedom to wander where I wished, treating me more like an honored guest than a prisoner. He wasn't trying to hurt me, Inuyasha. Seriously." 

Inuyasha nodded, having finally absorbed Kagome's words, but he just said, "We'll see. I'll decide what to do when the time comes."

Kagome bit her lower lip thoughtfully, then settled with a nod of acceptance, and curled herself up against Inuyasha's chest, and smiled up at him. The hanyou blushed, but didn't speak as he headed toward a patch of green near the southern side of the castle, where there were acres and acres of well-maintained trees and meadows. His sharp golden eyes flicked about, scanning the ground for any signs of his half-brother. He restrengthened his resolve to fight his brother to the death, if need be. Of course, if his brother proved to display less animosity than usual, and acted as Kagome had described, then maybe… "No!" He thought to himself, "I don't care if he rescued Kagome or not. He probably has some evil plan to hurt her or something. He deserves to get punished for keeping Kaogme her against her will- "

The dog demon's thoughts were cut off abruptly as Kagome cried out, "There they are! Down there!" She pointed to two figures that were outlined against a field of white and yellow flowers below them. Inuyasha berated himself for almost missing such an obvious picture, and rushed down towards the ground. 

Sesshoumaru was sitting on a large, flat stone, watching Rin run about and pick flowers. He was at ease, and let himself relax as he held a bunch of blue, violet, and white azaleas in his one hand. He sniffed appreciatively at the bouquet Rin had given him, then paused. A distinct, unmistakable scent was in the air. Dog hanyou. Inuyasha!! He leapt up, tense and ready to defend Rin. Sure enough, a few moments later, a red-clad, silver-haired hanyou landed gracefully on the grassy field, carrying a strangely clothed woman in his arms. Kagome climbed out of Inuyasha's arms, and brushed out the imaginary wrinkles in her school uniform, waiting uneasily for action. Much to her surprise, however, Inuyasha did not spring forward to attack the demon lord right way. Rather, he folded his arms and merely stood there, though his muscles were rigid and all his senses on alert for danger. Sesshoumaru, seeing the change of tactics from his usually impulsive brother, did not move from where he stood. The richly-dressed youkai spoke in a calm, pleasant, yet bland tone of voice, "Hello, brother." 


	20. Reconciled Brothers

Disclaimer: Yes! I own Inuyasha! Yay! *A mob of angry lawyers and fans swarm after foureyedbookworm* Okay, okay. I admit it! I don't own Inuyasha! Waaah! So sad! Please don't sue me! Sniff, sniff.

Author's Note: Okies, this update was fast, ne? Aren't you all so proud of me? It's a pretty long chapter! Have fun reading! Please review! Responses to last time's reviews are at the end of the chapter! Thank you!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 20

"Hello brother," Sesshoumaru said. Inuyasha decided that since the human child did not seem to be frightened by her close proximity to the youkai, he should feel no threat from his brother for now. 

He hesitantly returned the greeting, "H-hello, Sesshoumaru. I've come to take Kagome back." He did not say 'home', for home was where Kagome was. The hanyou continued, "I-I guess I should thank you for saving Kagome's life, back in the cave. But why did you do it?" A small measure of suspicion crept back into his voice. 

Before Sesshoumaru could answer, Rin ran up to Inuyasha fearlessly and replied in a cheerful voice, "Hi! My name's Rin! You look like Sesshoumaru-sama, but you're not as pretty as him!" All three adults sweat-dropped at Rin's short, frank statement, and stared with their attention fixed upon the small child as she went on chatting to Inuyasha, who had a half-amused, half-bewildered look on his face. "Rin asked Sesshoumaru-sama to save Kagome-chan. Sesshoumaru-sama told Rin that the cave was going to collapse, but Rin didn't want Kagome-chan to get hurt because she's my best friend! Right, Kagome-nee-chan?"

The younger girl smiled sweetly up at the older girl, who responded, "Hai! Rin, you're the best little sister that I ever had!"

"Honto?" Rin asked.

"Really!" Kagome smiled warmly at her. Rin beamed her cute gap-toothed smile as she flung herself at the high school girl and hugged her tightly. After they had finished hugging, Kagome turned to the two brothers, who were standing in an uncomfortable silence as they each guarded their charges.

"Um, you guys, I have a proposal to make. Since Rin and I are good friends, and we don't want either of you to get hurt, can't you two form a temporary truce or something? Like no fighting for at least awhile? Or no negative comments or actions while Rin and I are together? Please?" Kagome and Rin each smiled disarmingly at their respective guardians, melting the dog demons' hearts with their charm. The siblings glanced at each other from the corner of their eyes. Then, as if in unspoken agreement, they both turned toward each other and shook hands.

Inuyasha flashed his brother a peacemaking smile, and asked quietly, "Friends?" Sesshoumaru nodded, and the corners of his mouth tipped upwards into an apprehensive smile. "Friends," He agreed firmly.

While the brothers spent time settling their differences, Kagome had led Rin off to a space farther off, to give them some privacy. Now, seeing that the two dog demons had finished talking, Kagome and Rin walked back hand-in-hand, each carrying a bouquet of wildflowers behind their backs. Rin danced up to Sesshoumaru and presented him with a handful of daisies. She then turned to Kagome and looked at her expectantly. 

Kagome blushed a pretty pink, and produced a bouquet of lavender-blue forget-me-nots from behind her back, and thrust them toward a stunned Inuyasha, saying, "Here, I only picked them to keep Rin company, but they're for you…" Rin laughed merrily, while Inuyasha stared, goggled-eyed, at the flowers.

Finally, his expression cleared, and he said softly, his amber eyes shining, "Thank you, Kagome." He chose a single flower and cut it off carefully with his sharp claws. Then, he stepped towards the miko, gently tucked a few loose strands of hair back behind her ear, and placed the flower in her hair, right next to her ear.

Kagome, pleasantly surprised and pleased at his thoughtfulness, whispered, " You're welcome. And thank you, Inuyasha." The dog-hanyou's ears twitched forward to catch every syllable of her voice, and he smiled broadly at her before turning back around to face Rin and Sesshoumaru.

Rin spoke up, "Kagome-chan told me that forget-me-nots stand for tr– "

"Shh!!! Rin-chan!" Kagome interrupted quickly in a flustered voice, "Ah, why don't we just go and see if Sango, Miroku and Shippou are alright?"

Inuyasha turned to Kagome and shook a scolding finger at her, grinning wickedly, "Nh-uh-ah! Kagome, don't try to change the subject! Go ahead, Rin, tell us what forget-me-nots are supposed to stand for!" Rin smiled innocently while Inuyasha advanced towards her.

"Do you really want to know, Inuyasha-kun?" Inuyasha nodded vigorously, while Kagome made frantic shushing gestures behind his back. "Mmm, k, I'll tell you!" Rin beckoned the hanyou closer and down with her hand, then cupped it in front of her mouth and spoke, "Forget-me-nots stand for– " Here her voice dropped down to a whisper that even Sesshoumaru had trouble hearing. But both demons had heard, oh yes, very clearly, and a variety of different emotions flickered across their faces.

Sesshoumaru's face showed surprise, then disbelief, then acceptance, then amusement, and finally approval. On the other hand, Inuyasha's face showed surprise, then joy and excitement, which soon disappeared as he hid his emotions and said, "Feh!" Inside, his heart was hammering loudly against his ribcage, but all he said was, "Come on, woman, we have to go!"

Kagome let confusion show on her features before understanding dawned upon her. Inuyasha did not, would not, let Rin's words affect him. Maybe he didn't really care, or believe…She sighed with resignation and walked towards Inuyasha. As she clambered onto his back, she spoke, "Well, Sesshoumaru, Rin-chan, it's been nice meeting you! Thank you for your hospitality. I hope we'll meet again next time as friends. Ja ne!" Inuyasha gave a brief nod toward his brother, which Sesshoumaru promptly returned. 

Rin waved at the pair and called out, "Bye-bye, Kagome-chan! Come back and visit again soon! Bye Inuyasha-kun!" Kagome waved back at them, then watched as the two figures grew smaller and smaller as they flew higher and farther away from the ground. The two flew silently until they reached the invisible barrier, and Inuyasha called out a greeting to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou, who had been pacing anxiously in front of the castle since he'd left. 

Shippou jumped up and down excitedly, yelling, "Yay! Kagome-chan's back!" Sango and Miroku smiled in relief. Kagome got off Inuyasha's back and walked towards her friends. Inuyasha reached out a hand to stop her from hitting the barrier, but she passed through it without any trouble. Completely oblivious to her amazing feat, the miko ran up to Sango and hugged her, while the kitsune jumped up onto her shoulder and pranced about excitedly. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, and stared hard at the air, as if trying to figure out why Kagome could pass through the barrier. But he decided not to question Kagome's ability to pass through the shield unhindered, and motioned to the others to stay silent about it. So they whole group greeting her gladly, and together, they headed back towards Kaede's village. Unbeknownst to the travelers, someone had been watching them:

Sesshoumaru turned from the castle window, where he had been watching Inuyasha and Kagome reunite with their companions. He nodded thoughtfully and said to himself in a satisfied tone, "It is just as I thought it would be. The gate only admits those of inuyoukai blood and the soul mates of those of Inutaisho's heritage. So if this Sesshoumaru is not wrong, then that strange miko girl, Kagome, shall be my brother's future mate." 

A/N: Hey again! I would like to thank all my reviewers, and the following messages show just a small portion of my appreciation and gratitude towards all my readers! Arigatou!

aBacus: Thanks for reviewing every single chapter! I'm glad you like it! Inu/Kag forever, right? ^_^

Anzu-chan: Hi! I'm glad you agree with me about not making Sesshoumaru fall in love with Rin! Thanks for reviewing! I don't really deserve it!

whatsinaname: Um, sorry to keep you waiting! The Sess/Rin fic is not yet in the making, but maybe if I have time, I'll try one!

chickittychick: Yay! Glad ya liked it! I updated soon, as you wished! Keep it going with your story! Don't disappoint me! And yes, Sesshoumaru and Setsuna are a great couple too! Love the thing about Rin being his 'pup'!

Kin-chan Pandun: Whoa! Calm down! Here's food for the soul! ^_~ Keep reading and reviewing! Thanks!

LilFoxGirl: Hiya! Thanks for the review! Love your story, YMMR, too! Heh, heh, my vocab's not that great, but I try! ^_^ Chapter 21 will be finished soon!

Thunk: Yay! Three reviews all at once! You're too kind… But me luvs reviews!

Yuki: Thank you!!! More chappies just for you!


	21. My Soul Mate

Disclaimer: Nope! I don't own anything, not Inuyasha, not a million dollars, not my own giant library, nothing! Except a couple of poor ideas on this fic! ^_^

Author's Note: Okay, this is chapter 21! I finally passed 100 reviews! Special recognition to celadonserpent, who was my 100th reviewer! Yay! Review responses are at the end of this chapter! Keep on reading! And I just want to add that since school is about to start soon, I may not have as much time to write. So please be patient and wait for my updates, which will now be about once a week! Thank you! And I'm very sorry! K, r & r!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 21

A day later, back at Kaede's village, Inuyasha was sitting on his favorite branch in the Go-Shin-Boku tree thinking about…Kagome. (A/N: Who else? ^_^) The rough wood and bark of the tree branch had been polished as smooth as marble because of the numerous occasions and the lengthy periods of time that he spent sitting there. He sighed. Kagome was currently sitting in Kaede's hut, recounting her adventures to Sango, Miroku, Shippou, and the ancient woman herself. The dog demon had Feh!'d at the offer to join them, and he speedily headed out into the forest to reflect on his thoughts.

How had Kagome passed through the invisible barrier without help? Inuyasha wracked his brain, literally pounding in against the tree trunk at times, and tried as hard as he could to remember anything of his childhood that would help. Memories of the period of time when he still had a father, a mother, a loving, whole family, were thick with proverbial dust from lying undisturbed for so long, in the deepest, darkest recesses of his mind. Ah-ha! That was it! The voice of his father, the late ruler of the Western Lands, Inutaisho, suddenly echoed in his head. 

His deep, quiet, yet dignified voice intoned solemnly, "Inuyasha, my dearest son. It is time for me to teach you about our home, and territories, so that you will be well-prepared to take over as Lord of the Western Lands when you grow older. Listen well to what I tell you now, that you may be able to remember and repeat this to yourself when there is need: 

This castle has a shield around it, formed by very powerful youkai magic, which prevents our home from being attacked by intruders. Only those of my blood, and their chosen mates, may pass through the barrier freely. Inuyasha, I am sure that you will one day find your destined soul mate, and you will lead her through the invisible barriers and past these very doors, to make her the mistress of this house. However, only your wife can pass the shield unchecked, so since you will live to have many loyal friends in the future, I will tell you how to let them through. There is a spirit who resides inside the wall to guard our home. You must utter a specific incantation to let the spirit recognize the people whom you chose to allow into your home. Only this way can your friends enter the castle grounds. I will teach you the words, but be advised. You must take caution in choosing whom you let in. Once the spell is activated it cannot be reversed. Three kinds of people have the chance on coming in, son. There are those who seem like your friends. Then there are those who are your friends but have the potential to change into your enemies. But there are those who are truly your friends, worthy of your trust, willing to risk their lives for your life, who'll stand in unwavering fealty by your side. 

Here is what you must do: Let them put a hand on the barrier, palm facing down. Place your hand over theirs, and recite this verse:

With blood of inu,

You must hark to me.

With power of youkai,

May thee see what I see.

Allow this being to pass unhurt,

Through thy walls that stay alert.

Thou shalt not hinder nor harm,

This person, not hair nor arm.

I'll vouch for him, by the light of the moon and the sun,

So admit him through now, spirit, and let us be done!"

(A/N: Sorry about the corny incantation, but hey, give me some credit here peeps! I made this entire thing up out of my head! ^_^)

The powerful voice faded away as Inuyasha jumped off the tree and landed on his hands and feet on the grass. Hmm… so was Kagome…his soul mate? He didn't know whether to believe it or not. Inside, his heart yearned to tell Kagome that he loved her, to hold her in his arms, to caress her raven-black hair, to kiss her on her cherry lips. But his mind screamed at him to forget it, to pretend he never knew, for he was also sorely afraid of being betrayed again. Unintentionally, but betrayed nevertheless. After being killed by his first love, who could blame the poor guy for being mistrustful of another, almost identical pretty miko appearing in his life? 

Inuyasha was afraid. Afraid that if he admitted his love for Kagome, he would lose his strength and become weak. Afraid that if he and Kagome loved each other, another evil force would arrive to tear them apart. And most of all, afraid that if he summoned up the courage to approach her with his feelings, the beautiful, alive, teenager would refuse his love. Afraid she would shun him, scorn him, laugh at him, ridicule him, for assuming that she could ever love a worthless hanyou. Afraid that she bell-like voice would tinkle with laughter, and say, "Silly boy. How could I ever love you? Can't you see that I love Kouga? He's my true love."

"No!" he shouted aloud, without noticing, "Kagome is mine! She will be my mate, and no one, no wimpy wolf, can change that! I swear I'll rip him to pieces if he tries to take my Kagome away from me!" He growled possessively as he demonstrated what he would do to the cocky, handsome wolf-prince upon a poor young fir tree by punching its trunk again and again until its wood splintered, then fell apart. Inuyasha started to head full speed into the forest, to cool his anger, but he suddenly paused in mid-air and sniffed the air. The wind had shifted towards him now, and it blew a hot, acrid, woody stench straight past his nose. The hanyou jumped up into a nearby elm tree and looked towards the direction of the village. 

In the distance, a thick column of gray smoke was drifting lazily into the blue, cloudless sky. Oh no! Kaede's village was on fire! That meant that…"Kagome!" his mind screamed! The dog demon raced off towards the village. With the strength given to him by anxiety for Kagome's well-being, his speed soon brought him to the edge of the forest. There, a large wave of intense heat almost knocked the dog demon off his feet. 

Oh horror! Brilliant red flames flickered over the roof of Kaede's hut. It would have looked extremely dazzling and resplendent, if hadn't been so horrible. Smoke curled up around the edges of the door. Half of the village houses had blackened, charred walls; the fires there had already been put out by buckets of water by villagers. Inuyasha covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve, then ran towards Kaede's hut. As he neared it, he saw a row of people standing in front of the house, who were trying to diminish the flames. A line of people were shouting and grunting as they passed heavy buckets full of well water towards the house, with no success. As he watched, two dark figures emerged from the door, stumbling, coughing, and choking from the thick black smoke. It was Sango and Miroku! They ran up to Inuyasha, still panting and gasping for air. 

"Inuyasha! Thank goodness you're here! The village houses caught on fire from sparks from one of the other fireplaces. Shippou and Kaede have gotten out safely, but Kagome's still in there!" Sango cried frantically while she clutched the monk's sleeve.

Miroku added quickly, "Kagome-sama is trapped underneath a piece of fallen timber. We tried to get her out, but it wouldn't budge!" Without waiting to hear another word, the hanyou ran to one of the water buckets, tore a strip of fire-rat cloth from his haori, soaked it in the bucket, and tied it securely around his face. Then, impervious to the warning cries of his friends, he ran through the blazing frame of Kaede's door. The last glimpse Sango and Miroku had of him before he vanished into the fiery inferno were a few strands of silver-white hair that waved behind him before those, too, whisked around the corner and disappeared. 

Review Responses:

chickittychick ~ Thanks for the encouragement! Keep going with your story, too! When are Setsuna and Sesshoumaru going to finally get together?? ^_^

totally-wicked ~ I'm updating! I'm updating! Stop screaming at me willya? I have sensitive dog-demon ears, like Inuyasha! (jk) ^_~ I love fluff too! Thanks, but you deserve the credit for giving me the idea about the gate! And email me too!

CassieChan ~ I'm glad you liked it! I don't know that much about Rin either; you should thank my good friend, totally-wicked, for giving me so much info about Sesshoumaru, Rin, and the castle!

Miyami ~ Don't worry! I just love sweet touching moments alone between Kagome and Inuyasha! There's another fluffy moment coming up very soon! So stay tuned! J 

Thunk ~ Yep! I love happy endings too! Especially between Inuyasha characters! I got the info about the forget-me-not meanings online!

whatsinaname ~ Heh, heh. I don't think that story will be started for a long time yet. I don't have that much spare time on my hands, now that school's started… And I wouldn't want to displease chickittychick, anyway!

Itadakimasu ~ Arigatou! I love your stories too! They're so funny, especially 'The Job' You have to write more! I saw Goldmember, too!

aBacus ~ Thanks! And I'm writing as fast as I can! ^_^

celadonserpent ~ Congrats for being my 100th reviewer! Thank you! Me luvs fluff!


	22. Fiery Flames

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Inuyasha! Did you know that? Well, know you do!

Author's Note: K, guess our wonderful hero, Inu-chan, has to go rescue his girl again! Some fluff in this chapter! ^_^ Yay! And there's a bit of angst, too, but I'll make up for it! I promise! Please don't hate me! Review when you're done reading! No flames, please! Hope you like it! ^_^ (Review responses below!)

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 22

Inside the blazing hut filled with stifling, blinding smoke and fierce orange flames, a lone figure rushed through each of the rooms. He dodged falling timbers, leapt over patches of burning ground, and when necessary, put his own life at risk and charged blindly through walls of deadly fire. Inuyasha was feeling the heat, even through his fire-rat coat. Though it had been made to withstand heat, the prolonged length of time that the demon had spent amidst the burning house searching for Kagome was starting to wear through the fabric of his hakama. The heat pressed upon his body like a heavy, smothering blanket, and the parts of his skin that were bare were hurting like hell, yet he kept on going. It was hard to breathe, and every breath that he drew through the wet cloth around his face brought hot, choking lung-fulls of smoke into his chest, making him cough. His body was almost numb with pain and lack of oxygen, and the only reason the hanyou was able to stay conscious was that his brain somehow managed to squeeze out enough air to keep on saying, "Save Kagome! Save Kagome!" And so he continued stumbling, almost blindly, through the black waves of ash and smoke, hoping that his search would lead him to Kagome soon, before he passed out.

Finally, just when he was about to give up hope, his feet stumbled upon a lump on the floor as he was stepping over another obstruction on his path. He squinted, and recognized the slumped form in charred clothing to be Kagome, trapped under a blackened wooden beam, just as Miroku had said. Somehow, because of the urgency of the moment, Inuyasha somehow gained an extra burst of strength, and running on the fuels of his adrenaline, he strained at the beam and slowly heaved it off of the teenager's leg. The hanyou's chest heaved from exertion, and from coughing, but he wasted no time. He hurriedly bent over and picked her up. The girl had smudges of ash on her otherwise pale face, and seemed to look as if she were sleeping. Without pausing to check if she was conscious, the dog demon put the limp form of the girl over his shoulder, and crouched down towards the floor, where the air was somewhat clearer and cleaner. Luckily, he was able to lope along on the bottom of the hut, on hands and legs, quite easily, because of his dog-like bone structure. He headed toward where he thought the door was, for now the rooms were so dark, that all he could see in front of him, even with his demon eyesight and the light of the flames, were blurry gray shapes in front of him.

After what seemed like ages to both Inuyasha, and the onlookers outside, though it was actually only a bit more than a minute, he finally crawled to door, where his eyes were met by a blinding brightness. When his vision cleared, he almost smiled, for Sango was sobbing into Miroku's shoulder, and hugging Shippou as a teddy bear at the same time. Miroku looked extremely pleased, though whether it was because of Inuyasha's successful rescue, or because of the demon exterminator finally warming up to him, the exhausted dog demon couldn't tell. And Shippou was struggling comically to get out of Sango's tight, breathtaking embrace.

Inuyasha tried to laugh, but he ended up coughing instead. He sat up slowly, wearily, and looked at Kagome, who was still a slack, unresponsive bundle in his arms. Then, suddenly, he realized. In horror and despair, he cried out in a choked voice, "Kagome? Kagome! Talk to me! Please!" He shook her frantically, trying to get her to open her eyes, to see her blue eyes look up at his and smile like she always did. But the girl didn't respond. The white-haired man knelt at her side and held his furry, triangular ears near her part-opened mouth. He listened intently, hoping to hear some sound of her breathing. There was none. He lurched up with the miko in his arms, and staggered, tears running unhindered down his cheeks. It was too late, then. He had not been fast enough. She was dead. He raised a shaking hand to trace the curved contours of her peaceful face. 

Never again to hear her beautiful, bell-like laugh. Never to see those expressive eyes capture his gaze and talk to his soul. Never again to be able to watch as her long, black hair waved in the breeze. Never to see her greet him with a cheerful wave of her palm. Never again to see her, to hear her, to talk to this girl who had won his heart. No more. He hadn't even gotten to tell her, to tell her, that he loved her… 

"Ka…go…me…Please, speak to me. Please. Please don't die!" He sobbed into her black hair, shaking his head with grief. His strong shoulders sagged and trembled as the usually stoic dog-demon became a scared, sorrowful boy. Kaede hobbled up to the pair, and tried to take the girl from his arms, but the hanyou bared his teeth at the old woman, and continued to caress the girl, with rivulets of tears running down his cheeks, onto his neck. Teardrops stained his red coat a dark maroon. It was as if a dam had broken inside the hanyou, and he had finally realized how much he had grown to care for this strange girl from the future.

Kaede sighed, and spoke softly, her wise heart telling her that he needed time to grieve, but her wisdom urging her to tell him that there was still hope. 

"Inu…yasha. She may not yet be dead. Kagome-sama may not be breathing, but I think that is because she has been suffocated by the ashes and smoke of fire. But if her heart is still beating, we may still have a chance to save her."

Inuyasha's ears swiveled towards the sound of her old, crackling voice, then he placed his head on Kagome's chest and listened intently. Hope rose on his face, for he had heard the slow, faint, yet steady beat of Kagome's heart, which sounded like a beautiful symphony to his ears.

He whirled around towards the village priestess and pleaded anxiously, "Tell me how to save her! Tell me!" Kaede nodded her assent and walked forward, saying, "We must hurry. There is not much time. To give her breath and clear her air passageways, you must breathe air into her through your own mouth. Are you willing?"

Inuyasha nodded dumbly. Following Kaede's complicated instructions with unusual patience, he worked hard to bring breath back into Kagome's body. Placing his mouth on hers without any outer signs of qualm, he breathed as the miko instructed. At last, the girl on the ground coughed once or twice, took a hesitant breath, and her chest finally started to rise and fall regularly. Inuyasha wiped the sweat off his face as he stared intently and happily at her own face. She slowly opened her eyes, and her gaze immediately fell on the dog demon, who was only a foot away from her face. At that moment, regardless of smudged cheeks, singed hair, or greyish pallor, Inuyasha though that Kagome looked like the most beautiful girl in the world as she lifted her mouth up in a pretty smile.

Kagome lifted a finger up to touch the dog-demon's still-wet cheeks, and spoke in a soft, raspy voice, "Why were you crying, Inuyasha?" She sounded confused and a bit disoriented as she frowned at the tears that glistened on her love's cheeks. Inuyasha just shook his head gently, his eyes glimmering in happiness, and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Inuyasha grasped her small hands in his own.

"I- I thought you were dead. Kagome, I'm so glad that you're okay. Kagome. Promise me that you'll never leave me again." He gazed intently at her, his deep golden eyes boring into her confused cerulean ones. The young woman, still muddled from her ordeal, could nod dumbly. He smiled once more at her, with a mixture of wistfulness and pleasure, then walked away. 

Review Responses:

Miyami ~ S'okay! I'm always impatient to read the next chapter of other writers' stories, too! It is hard, but *sigh* we authors can't help it! I love fluffy moments too!

Noodals ~ Heh, heh! Yep, it's waffy! What did you expect? Inuyasha saved Kagome again, yep, yep. And yes, I know, I AM EVIL! Bwahahahaha!!! xD Not!

Itadakimasu ~ Thank you! I'm so glad that you like my story! Yep, Inuyasha can be kinda clueless sometimes, but Hojo's even more naïve! I wish I could learn kendo or archery or something! ^_^

C-Chan ~ Arigatou! I thought my incantation was not that bad, but not so good either. Glad you approve! 

whatsinaname ~ Yah, I agree! Thanks, I'll need luck to pass freshman year without making myself the laughingstock of the entire school!! ^_^;;

Naatz ~ Thanks for letting me know! I changed the settings!

Kin-chan Pandum ~ THANK YOU!!!!

Katoumaru ~ I will keep writing! You can be sure of that! ^_^  
celadonserpent ~ Hee, hee! I'm not cruel, I'm evil, and I love writing cliffhangers! Sorry about that! J Thanks for reviewing! Continue writing!

totally-wicked ~ Thanks! I'll write more as soon as possible! Email me please, when you have a chance!

Neko-Yasha ~ Thanks! Keep reviewing!

LilFoxgirl ~ Hi Kit-chan! Thanks for reviewing! I love Pocky! Especially chocolate Pocky! Yum! Thank you! *glomp* Heh, heh. I think hitting 200 reviews is still very far away in the very distant future, but I can hope, can't I? ^_^ Cool, we voted the same thing? Great minds must think alike!

aBacus ~ Arigatou for reviewing! I'm sorry about writing a cliffhanger, I just think it's very fun!

chickittychick ~ Wow! 18 chapters?!?! Then you're almost there! I'll go read chapter 15 of your story soon! I kinda thought my last chapter was pretty long, not short. @_@ Who knows? ^ ^ I tried to make this one longer, for you! Hope you like it! Of course, Inuyasha will always rescue Kagome, no matter what! Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing! Ja ne! 


	23. A Hanyou's Reflections

Disclaimer: Oh, how my eyes doth weep rivers, to knowst that the silver haired visage that doth appear in my dreams shall never be mine! I must avow, my heart dost yearn towards thou, my furry-eared gentleman, but I shalt never have thee. 

^_^ A little bit of demented, made-up, messed-up Shakespearean for you all to chew upon! I know it's totally screwed up, but you get the message! Next disclaimer might be a haiku, who knows! ^_~ (It's a little boring to write the same: "I don't own Inuyasha." phrase over and over again, so I thought I'd try something new. Strange, ne? Let me know what you think!)

Author's Note: Well, this chapter is basically a reflection on Inuyasha's thoughts after he rescues Kagome. Not much action, but a bit of fluff and some humor! J Another unannounced appearance of "the voice"! Yay! Review responses are at the end! And school's finally started! Not that it's a good thing… I almost broke my back bringing textbooks home to get covered! Ouch! Anywho, read and review!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 23

A silent dark figure was sitting cross-legged next to the single futon in the hut. The oilcloths that covered the glass-less windows to prevent the brisk night air from entering the room almost completely blocked the moonlight and made it too dark to see anything. But if one had demon eyesight, like Inuyasha, they would still be able to peer into the darkness and distinguish figures and shapes. And that is exactly what Inuyasha was able to do. Through his drooping eyelids and the thick curtain of white bangs, he could barely make out the shape of a young girl who was sleeping peacefully on the ground in front of him. 

Kagome had been covered with a light flannel blanket before Sango and Miroku had departed to their respective huts to catch some shut-eye. Kaede had taken Shippou to a different hut to give the couple privacy, murmuring about how Inuyasha should get some rest, too before departing discreetly. But Inuyasha had adamantly refused to leave her side, stubbornly preparing to stay awake the whole night and guard her, as if making sure the teenage girl wouldn't slip away and supposedly die again. After a few hours, when the golden crescent moon had risen high in the night sky, the ever-vigilant dog-demon had noticed that Kagome was shivering in her sleep because it almost autumn and the night had grown chilly. The air still smelled like the smoke from the fire, but it had been distinguished hours ago. The hanyou looked uneasily at the shivering miko, wondering if she would get sick. Muttering softly about "weak humans, Feh!", for even when no one was around, Inuyasha had to keep up his façade and pretend to himself that he didn't care about the girl, he went through great troubles and pains to fetch an extra blanket from the futuristic girl's backpack and cover her with it.

With a series of muted bumps, whispered "ouches", and soft curses, Inuyasha managed to stub his bare toe against a chair leg and get a paper-cut from the sharp edge of one of Kagome's paper "tests" as he blundered around aimlessly in the dark. With help from his exceptional sense of smell, he finally accomplished the task of spreading the quilt gently over the sleeping figure while sucking on his injured index finger, which soon quickly healed. Having decided that Kagome was still sleeping soundly by listening to her steady, quiet breathing, he sat back down by side, crossed his arms and legs, and looked at her.

No words could describe how glad he had been when Kagome opened her eyes and he had realized that she wasn't dead. Though he told himself that he was only worried that she wouldn't be able to find the rest of the shards for him, his own heart spoke differently. The last time he had cried had been ages ago, when his mother had died. After he had rescued Kagome from the fire, and realized he was too late, he had felt a strong wave a despair and sorrow when he thought Kagome died that he was pretty sure he must really care about her. "_Yes! Exactly! You love her. How else,_" his brain argued with him, "_would she have elicited such strong emotions from you?_" 

Silently, Inuyasha shook his head and said to himself in a confused, unsure voice, "But, I don't love Kagome…I love Kikyou. She died because of me. I-I only cried because… because I thought that if the wench died, I would never get the chance to become a full demon!" 

"_No! You love her, you baka! Don't you get it? Don't call her a wench! She's your mate! That's why you cried for the first time in more than fifty years! You thought you lost her! You stopped loving that undead priestess as soon as Kagome released you from the tree! You don't even want to be a full demon anymore! You don't care about the Shikon no kakera at all! The only reason you stay with Kagome is because you love her! Kagome is your fated soul-mate! You thought you'd lost your mate in the fire! Admit it!_" The voice cried triumphantly.

Inuyasha almost banged his own head against the wall in frustation and growled in a quiet voice, "Shut the hell up!" He glanced at the object of his inner turmoil to make sure Kagome was still asleep. She was, probably because she was still tired from the fire. He thought vehemently to his 'voice', "I _don't_ love Kagome! And she's not my mate!" He sighed, then added, more to himself than the 'voice' "I-I guess I do care about her, but I'm just not sure that I like her in _that_ way. I don't know! I'm just so confused about all my feelings! I'm not sure who I'm supposed to love!" Inuyasha admitted to himself.

"But," he thoughtfully mused, "Until I can figure out my feelings, and hers, I'm not going to say anything. It's confusing. I'm not sure if I love Kagome, or whether she loves me. And either way, I can't let anyone know my feelings, or else youkai such as Naruku will target Kagome in order to hurt me. And no matter what, I don't want Kagome to get hurt."

A/N: So, that's the end of chapter 23! Did you like it? Hate it? Review and let me know! I welcome any c and c! And also, I'm sorry, I'm sure some of my readers expected Inuyasha to fall on his knees and proclaim his undying his love for Kagome as soon as he saw her open her eyes, but it ain't like that, huns! Sowie to disappoint! But even if you flame me, I'm not changing it! Inuyasha can't admit his feelings yet, because Kagome hasn't confessed hers, and he's still undecided about the Kikyou issue. Got it? Don't get me wrong, I like Kikyou as less as everyone else, but we still got plenty of unresolved issues to clear up before Kagome and Inuyasha can get together! That's why the title's what it is! Okie-dokey? And I'm still going to have some fun with this couple! They're so meant for each other! And Kouga, Kikyou, Naruku, and a bunch of other characters still have to make their appearances, so be patient! I told you this story is gonna be long! ^_^

Review responses: 

Liz ~ Thanks! Yeah, I know, Shippou becomes a demolished teddy bear once in a while! ^_^;;

hera goddess ~ THANK YOU!!!!!

Raiye ~ Wow! I'm so glad that you love my story! I must write more for you! 

totally-wicked ~ Hiya! Wassup? How's school? Thanks for reviewing! Did you seriously cry? ^.^

just peachy ~ Ooohh… o.O Didya really put me on your favorite list? *gasp* I'm honored! Heh, heh. Did I scare you when I said that Kagome was dead? Sry! 6_6

Itadakimasu ~ lol! If I become a bestseller novelist, I'll make sure to tell everyone to read your stories, too! You're a great writer! ^_^ *gives her a thumbs-up* Sooo…when are you going to write chapter 4 or Adoption? I can't wait! Oh, to glomp someone is like latching onto them or hugging them in a crazy way… ^_^ *glomps Itadakimasu* Arigatou for reviewing! *blows her a kiss* Ja ne!

aBacus ~ Dun worry! I'm very lazy sometimes, too! I wish we didn't have to sign in every single time! It's so complicated and takes too long! Yep, I agree. Inuyasha is always so sweet when it comes to Kagome, ne? 

KaGoMiAkA ~ ARIGATOU!!! Here's da next chappie! I put it up as fast as I could write it! Enjoy!

chickittychick ~ Hee, hee. Yep, I'm a perfect straight-A student! *coughs modestly and blushes* Thanks for the compliment! I think you're a good author too! And school is dragging me down a bit, I try, for my fans! ^_^ 

Lil-RinTwin ~ Thank you so much! *bows* I'm honored that you think that it's the best fic ever, but I'm really not _that_ good! *blushes* Thanks! Yes, don't worry, I will definitely continue!

Rain ~ Yes! I love fluff! Fluff is good! Yes! FLUFF! FLUFF! FLUFF! Arigatou for reviewing!

C-Chan ~ I know, I almost cried while I was writing it, too! I just love sappy moments that make me cry! ^_^;; Yes, I will continue to write whenever I can, though high school kinda takes away most of my time…


	24. Stubborn, Stubborner, Stubbornest

Disclaimer: Rivers do not flow,

As fast as sorrowful tears

Make trails on my cheeks.

Oooookay…That was my messed-up attempt to convey the message that I don't own Inuyasha! It's haiku! 5. 7. 5! Very demented, I know, but I got tired of typing the same disclaimer over and over again. Next time's a limerick, if I can manage!

Author's Note: Yay! I'm back everyone! ^_^ Sorry that I haven't updated in so long! Y'all must be feeling deprived… But I always feel unproductive when I have just done ten tons of homework, so blame my school's teachers if you wanna gripe about how long it took to write another chapter! I also want to tell everyone to go worship ArtemisMoon, because it was her reviews that encouraged me to hurry up and write my ass off for you guys! She gave me 7, long, wonderful reviews all at once! I was so grateful to her! Please go read and review her Rurouni Kenshin story, Koishii, if you want to thank her for making me write this chapter sooner! It's a bit of humor and romance at mixed into one… Anyway, this chappie has some Sango and Miroku fluff, in case you're interested! And just for a preview: Chapter 25 will contain major sweetness and fluff between…you guessed it, Inuyasha and Kagome! Please enjoy! 

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 24

"Okay, okaa-san! I'm leaving now! Bye-bye! I'll be back in about a week or so! Bye Souta! Take care of Buyo! Bye jii-chan!" Kagome called out cheerfully as she stepped out of the house, carrying a large green backpack, as always, into the cool autumn morning. The various members replied from different parts of the shrine-house as the teenager walked quickly towards the well house. "Oh dear," Kagome said aloud as she glanced at her silver-chained watch, "I'm late again. Inuyasha's going to be mad! I better hurry up!" She started running towards the well house, and quickly went in. 

Just as the miko was about to jump in over the edge, she faintly heard her mother's voice yelling, "Wait! Kagome, you should bring a- " But it was too late, Kagome had already disappeared. "-jacket." Her mother appeared at the doorway of her house, shaking her head resignedly. "How did she leave so fast? Oh well, must be that she's in a good physical condition. She should have brought a heavier jacket though. It might get a bit chilly in the Sengoku Jidai. Oh, I do hope my little baby girl doesn't catch a cold. She has such a delicate constitution."

Just as Kagome's worried mother was saying this, the girl with the supposedly "delicate constitution" was screaming at a certain dog-demon, "INUYASHA!!! Osuwari! I didn't dawdle! I came here as fast as I could after breakfast! Just because you don't have a life, that doesn't mean I can't have one either! I had to say good-bye to my family! And I ran as fast as I could here afterwards!" She stamped her foot for emphasis while glaring at the figure laying face down on the ground.

Inuyasha muttered scornfully with his face in the dirt, "Can't even run fast enough. Feh! Weak humans…"

"Grrrr…Inuyasha! I'm not a weak human! I can stand extreme conditions better than anyone in my class! I'm the most physically fit person in my gym class! I can run faster than any of the boys can in my class, too! How dare you call me weak!" Kagoem shouted angrily. She was annoyed that no matter how hard she tried to impress or please Inuyasha, he always criticized her and called her weak, or stupid, or anything insulting. "Osuwari!" She stomped off, fuming at the hanyou's words.

After the spell wore off, said hanyou sat up, brushed his clothes off, and said to himself, "What did I ever do to deserve this? And what's 'fi-si-cul-ly' mean?" It was almost a month since the fire, and he had worked hard to keep his relationship with the miko-in-training the same as it was before. Using bribing, threatening, and wheedling techniques, he had convinced everyone who had witnessed his tears to keep their mouths shut about the incident when he had rescued Kagome. They had agreed, for personal reasons of their own. Shippou, mainly out of fear of retribution as well as the promise of a giant Hershey's chocolate bar from Kagome's house. Miroku, out of amusement and understanding, as well as a threat to tell Sango about the time that he had peeked on her while bathing. As for the demon exterminator herself, well, let's just say that she was more sensitive to the feelings of her companions, and was willing to give Inuyasha his chance to woo Kagome in his own demented way.

And the dog-demon himself had made a conscious effort to act normally towards Kagome. He had to work hard to keep his face muscles in a perpetual frown when she was around, he thought carefully before answering her questions in order to sound brusque and rude, and he purposely ignored the fact that the teenager was voluntarily warming up to him. Kagome crept closer toward him at night, around the campfire. She spoke warmly to him now and then, and didn't get as angry when he tried to annoy her. She almost never sat him unless she was very pissed off, either. It was as if she knew his feelings and was trying to return them.

Anyway, after their fairly small squall had blown over that morning, Kagome and Inuyasha prepared to lead the rest of the group off towards the northern part of the domain. What with one thing and another, they finally managed to leave the village in the late morning, when the sun was shining brightly. They were off to gather more shards, as usual, and everyone was in a relatively good mood. Except Kagome. She was actually still steaming about Inuyasha's comments, and she vowed to herself that she would prove herself as strong as any of them.

Secretly, the fact that she always looked weaker than the rest of her friends, except for Shippou, was one of her main insecurities. She was afraid that they thought of her as a burden, because she always needed to rest, and needed to be protected during fights, and was always seemed like a fragile person. Kagome never paused to think of the fact that the three of them were all trained fighters and used to living in the wild, used to providing and watching out for themselves. Still, the futuristic girl furrowed her eyebrows and thought to herself determinedly, "I will not let them think I'm weak! I swear that I'll act strong!" 

As Kagome walked, last in the procession that was led by Inuyasha, she was so immersed in her thoughts that she failed to notice the sudden darkening of the previously bright blue sky. That was why, when they stopped for a midday meal a few hours later, the miko was surprised to find that the sun had been blocked out by thick dark clouds, and that there was a threatening, ominous mass of black and gray clouds that was rolling speedily towards them. The air had grown chillier without the heat of the sun, and she could no longer see her companion's shadows because it was so dark. She shivered involuntarily, though whether it was because of the foreboding atmosphere of the weather, or because her scanty, thin school uniform was not affording her any heat, she didn't know.

Sango and Miroku, who were walking side by side, having formed a silent truce moments before, edged closer to each other for warmth. The monk glanced at her, then with a well-hidden smirk, draped a casual arm around Sango's shoulder. The demon huntress stiffened, and gave him a warning glare that seemed to say, "If that hand strays, I'll hit you so hard that you'll be sorry." Then, seeing as the lech had an innocent yet expressionless look on his face, she decided to put aside her animosity towards him away for the moment, in favor of more warmth. Sighing with resignation, the taiji-ya didn't say a word as she put an arm around Miroku's waist and snuggled closer towards the monk. Miroku started at her unusual actions, then slowly grinned and hugged her tighter in an effort to pass some of his body heat to her. 

Kagome, who had been watching the pair's actions from behind with undisguised amusement, thought happily to herself, "Well, it's about time those two got together. Sango and Miroku are such a cute couple! I'm glad they're finally warming up to each other." She smiled warmly at their intertwined bodies, then sighed to herself. "If only I had someone like that…" Her glance fell automatically upon Inuyasha's stoic, red-clad figure. He had Shippou huddled in a heap on his shoulder, but he didn't seem to mind, or notice. The hanyou took long strides forward, and seemed oblivious of the incoming cold air. Kagome shook her head sadly, then shrugged, tightened her arms around herself, and ran forwards to catch up with her friend.

"Hello, Inuyasha! It's a cold day, isn't it?" Kagome spoke casually towards him.

Inuyasha gave her a cursory glance as she drew level with him, but otherwise gave no sign that he had noticed her presence. The high-schooler bristled at his disregard, and repeated in a exasperated tone, "Inuyasha! Are you listening to me? I said that it's cold outside!"

The dog hanyou looked at the white puffs of air coming out of her mouth, paused, smirked, and declared, "Feh! You're so weak! It's not cold at all right now! I've been through much worse!" As he spoke, though, he tucked his hands into his hakama to keep them warm.

Kagome huffed angrily, her pride hurt, and said, "Humph! I didn't say **_I _**was cold. I'm perfectly fine!" She folded her arms, pressed her lips together, and refused to look him in the eye. Inuyasha snorted, but didn't reply.

The miko was seething inside, angry at his insult, but she didn't say anything aloud as she thought, "Huh! So, I'm a weak little girl, am I? Oooohh… I'll show that arrogant, selfish, stubborn, violent, angry, stupid, narrow-minded, dog-breathed jerk! I'm not going to say a word about how cold I am! I swear that I'd rather freeze to death than admit it!" As she glared at the "jerk" 's retreating back, though, she shivered again. 

"Inuyasha. Maybe it would be wise to stop and turn around, or find shelter in a cave or village. There is a storm approaching, and, judging by the falling temperatures, there's probably going to be a snowstorm. I advise that we get the ladies into a warm place soon, lest they cannot stand the cold." Miroku spoke in a smooth, reasonable voice.

The dog demon, reluctant to stop, but aware of a human's limits, looked up calculatingly at the dark sky. It was only noon, yet already temperatures were falling, and the sky looked as dark as dusk. He glanced back at Sango and Kagome questioningly, as if asking their opinions.

Sango, who was wearing relatively warm clothing, shrugged dismissively and answered, "I'm fine. It's only a bit cold." She looked at her close friend, and continued carefully, "It's nothing I can't handle, but Kagome-chan is probably cold. She's only wearing a thin shirt and a short skirt. It will not insulate her against the cold winds. Maybe we should stop."

Everyone, including the fox cub, looked at Kagome. She forced herself to straighten up and said coolly, "No. I'm fine too. I'm not cold. Perfectly okay. We should continue looking for the shards. Everything will be fine. It probably won't start snowing until late afternoon or tonight! " She spoke with an outward confidence that she didn't really have. But she stubbornly refused to cause inconvenience to her companions. "I'm not weak!" She thought to herself. Kagome clapped her hands and said cheerfully, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go everyone! A little snow won't be able to hurt us!" Just as the last words came out of her mouth, the first snowflake landed gently and soundlessly on her head, it's crystalline white forming a stark contrast against the ebony blackness of her hair. 

A/N: Bit of a cliffhanger, no? But not that bad… Hope you appreciate the fact that this is an exceptionally long chapter! See ya next time! Ja ne!

Review Responses:

ArtemisMoon ~ First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU so much for reviewing!!!!! You totally uplifted my glum spirits and nudged me towards my pen and paper pad! ^_^ Arigatou! I already talked nonstop when I reviewed your story, so I'll keep this short: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And keep on reading! Hope you liked this chapter!

Erica ~ ^_^ Thanks for reviewing! I wanted to watch the episodes on Cartoon Network, but I don't have the channel… So sad… L 

Makura Kirei ~ Yes! I agree! Kikyou is evil!!!!!! Grrr… Anyway, ^_^ thanks! I'm honored that you think I'm a master authoress! *poses* 

Liz ~ Arigatou! I'm gonna write as much as I can! I love fluff too! There'll be lots of Inu/Kag sweetness in the next chapter!

C-Chan ~ Thank you! I agree! We should all call Kikyou dumb dead-wench or something! She is so evil! - Blech! Well, good luck in college! Take care!

Laura-chan ~ Yep, Sess-chan isn't as cruel as we expected, thanks to Rin's loving, innocent influence. And Inu/Kag is my favorite couple, so don't expect anything else! Arigatou for reviewing! I'll try to update soon!

celadonserpent ~ Thanks! Inuyasha is closed up sometimes, but you have to take into account the fact that he had a very scary childhood…

strawberry goodness ~ Calm down! I'm writing as fast as I can! Here's the chapter! Happy? ^.^ Keep reviewing!

Itadakimasu ~ Hi! Thank you for always taking time out to write such long reviews! Um, glomp isn't a different language, I don't think… I'm pretty sure it's English… Dun worry, I'm horrible at languages too! I'm taking Spanish, but I know Chinese, and now I'm familiar with a bit of Japanese too… So confusing! Too many different languages! LOL Yes, Inuyasha and Kagome are the most kawaii couple in the history of the world! ^_^ Mmm… Coke is good… I like getting sugar high too… Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing! Luv ya! *glomp* Get out of the mental hospital before I drag you out! I need you as inspiration! LOL ^_^

aBascus ~ No such luck! Sorry! ^_~ Gotta be patient, 'cause Inuyasha's not gonna 'fess up' for awhile yet! Sorry to disappoint! Thanks for reviewing, though!

Mia Anika ~ Arigatou!!!

Kumori ~ There will be more 'lovely, not too OOC, not too over-dramatic, but nice and fluffy' fluff in the next chapter! Wait for it! ^_*

chickittychick ~ Like I said in the review, Shikon no kakera is a correct phrase… But thanks for noticing! Keep writing your story!

Thunk ~ SOLEDAD was wonderful! I can't wait to read what happens next! Did you like my insanely stupid haiku disclaimer? ^ ^;; Yes! Love the image of inuyasha doing CPR on moi… too bad it will never happen… *tear* But…* cheers up* One can always dream, right ^_^;; Anyway, arigatou!

Rosefire ~ Hi! I'm glad you think I deserve some credit! Ya know, I can't believe I got more than 150 reviews! It's exhilarating! I started reading chapter 7 of 'The Price of Freedom', but my parents made me stop…I must go back and finish it soon! Thank you for the encouragement! ^_^ Keep writing! 


	25. Frozen Warm Hearts

Disclaimer: There once was a very poor writer,

who didn't own any… Okay, I give up!

Enough with the limerick! I have no imagination for poetry!

I don't own Inuyash or co! That's final!

Author's Note: Wow! That was a quick update! Just posted chapter 24 yesterday! Did everyone enjoy it? I took advantage of the extra day off from school to write more, even though I still have biology homework to do… So enjoy the extra while you can! I'll be busy again tomorrow! Lot's of fluff in this chapter! ^_^ Yay! 

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 25

Within the first hour, the snow was light and fluffy. (A/N: ß Note the hint here. Fluff? o.O *wink, wink* ^_~) All the members of the group, even Inuyasha, paused in their trek to admire the individual flakes that were gently falling all around them. The powdery flurries looked so softly harmless as they dotted everyone except the white-maned dog-demon's hair. Inuyasha shook his long white hair carelessly, dislodging the snowflakes from his head. He didn't even nag or complain when all his friends stopped in a wide open filed to play with the beautiful snow. Everyone seemed unaware of the cold for the moment, even Kagome, who was happily spinning and twirling around, catching the wet snow atop her tongue and eyelashes. Sango and Miroku were having a mock snowball fight, with the fox kitsune as a referee, all three of them laughing and screaming with excitement. None of them seemed to notice that what had started out as a light snowfall was eventually starting to get heavier, that the flakes were now pouring down like rice out of a large bag. The snowflakes were no longer soft and gentle, tickling one's skin as they landed. It had now become a full-fledged snowstorm, whose fast, sharp, snow petals stung the skin as it landed. Everyone became drenched, and they as hurried for the relative cover of the forest. 

Miroku herded Sango and Shippou into the forest, shouting for Inuyasha and Kagome to follow him. Unfortunately, by that time the roaring wind was whipping around them furiously, and it swept the words right out of his mouth and away from the ears of the fast disappearing couple. The hanyou had gripped Kagome's hand tightly and dragged the shivering teenager in the opposite direction, likewise towards the sheltering trees. The monk smiled indulgently at their retreating backs, then turned back and shouted in Sango's ear for her benefit, 

"We got separated! Might as well go on and find somewhere to wait out the storm! The other two've already headed the other way. I think Kagome and Inuyasha wanted to spend some time _alone_." 

He gave her a suggestive smirk with an added emphasis on the last word. The demon exterminator gave him give a piercing glare for his impertinent implication, then whirled around, scooped up the fox cub, and stalked off, indicating with a tilt of her head that the lecherous monk should follow her. (Note: This is not a blanket scenario for Sango and Miroku, or Inuyasha and Kagome! But if you want it to be one for Inu/Kag in the next chapter, I'll be happy to oblige! Just review and let me know! ^_^) 

Meanwhile, the two who supposedly "wanted to spend some time alone" were standing as far apart from each other as they could, trying to ignore the other in hope that they would just go away. The snow was still falling, but there was less now, here under the canopy of treetops. Kagome was still shivering, and her fingertips were pink with cold, but she still refused to admit it. Inuyasha showed no sign of being cold nor wet, except for his silver-white hair, which was glistening with melted snow. She glared angrily at the dog demon out of the corner of her eye, only to see that he had just been sneaking a glance at her from the corner of his eye at the exact same moment. They both started, blushed, then hurriedly turned their faces the other way again. They looked down at their feet uncomfortably. 

The miko finally gathered her wits and spoke in what she hoped was a strong, angry tone, "Well, what are we going to do now? We're separated from the rest of the group, stuck in the middle of a snowstorm, standing in the middle of nowhere with nothing but each other and my huge backpack," she indicated the said item on her back with a gesture, then continued, "And it's all your fault that I'm co-"

She stopped, cutting off the remainder of her sentence and biting her tongue. Kagome refused to say another word. It didn't matter how cold she was, she wouldn't admit it in front of Inuyasha!

The dog-demon sighed frustratedly, and growled, "I don't know what to do! We might as well keep on walking until we find the others, or some shelter again. It's not safe to stay here. The trees might fall and collapse on top of us because of the strong winds." As he spoke, the tree nearest to him creaked and swayed to support his words. 

Kagome looked frightened, but she set her jaw determinedly and said, "Fine. Let's go then." She stalked off quickly, trying to keep moving to stay warm.

"Uh, Kagome?" The futuristic girl stopped and looked back. "We're supposed to go this way." The hanyou pointed in the opposite direction, towards the clearing that they had been in before. She looked embarrassed, but said nothing as she turned and followed Inuyasha back the way they had come.

The dog-demon glanced worriedly at her wet, thin uniform as she walked next to him, stiff and indifferent. "Are you sure you're not cold?" He asked in a gruff, casual tone. The reply that came back was so sharp that he jumped, startled. 

"No! I'm not cold! I'm not weak, I told you already!" Kagome yelled angrily. Inside, she was thinking, "If he can stand it, I can stand it. I'll just pretend I'm not cold. I'll imagine we're in a hot, dry desert, and I'm eating a bowl of warm Oden…Brrrrr…" She started to shiver again, despite her thoughts of warmth.

Inuyasha, whose fire-rat coat was water-resistant and provided him with an ample amount of heat, did not notice the bitter coldness as any more than a mere inconvenience, partly due to his enduring half-demon blood. However, against all expectations of our favorite yet insensitive dog-youkai, he noticed Kagome's shivering, and was worried for her. 

After struggling with himself for a couple of minutes, he tried again, "Kagome, are you sure you're not col-"

"No! I'm not! Stop asking! And even if I were, which I most definitely am not, I don't have any other jackets or warmer clothing anyway! So just mind your own business!" Kagome yelled. Her unusually rude reply, which certainly shocked Inuyasha, was due to her coldness, and her unwillingness to show the hanyou that she was indeed cold. Already frozen into a proverbial icicle by then, with numb fingers and toes and quivering legs, the obstinate girl continued to trudge on through the thick snow.

Inuyasha growled at her stubborn comment, and hurried up to her and grasped her by the shoulders, turning her around to face him. She immediately looked down at the ground, refusing to meet her gaze. He sighed, and moved a gentle hand toward her chin, using a clawed hand to tilt her chin up and look her in the face. What he saw made him even more determined to make her admit that she was freezing to death. Kagome's hair was frozen stiff, with frost covering the wet strands like crystals. Her lips with tinged blue with cold, her nose was as red as a cherry, and even her eyelashes had ice crusted on them. Her arms were covered with goosebumps, her skin was cold and clammy, and her teeth started chattering soon after he let her go.

"Kagome! Listen to me!" He grabbed her arms before she could move away, and shrugged off his outer coat. Clad in just a white inner kimono, he quickly wrapped it around the girl's limp, shaking shoulders. "Here. Wear this. It'll keep you warm." 

At that word, the girl regained some of her lost strength and tore herself away from the dog demon, screaming, "No! Stop it! You always think I'm too weak to take care of myself! Well, now I'm proving to you that you're wrong! Okay?!?! Just leave me alone!" She threw the red haori onto the ground, and ran from him, sobbing. Inuyasha followed and fast as he could, picking up his shirt on the way and shaking off the snow. He captured her again three feet later, and supported her before she collapsed to the ground in tears.

"Dammit Kagome! Will you stop being a stubborn bitch and put on the fucking coat!" He picked her up and shook her non-too gently. "Kami-sama, why do you always have to be so stubborn! You're going to let yourself freeze to death! Is that it? Do you actually want to die young?" He cried out in a harsh, passionate voice. Inuyasha looked at the sobbing, wet, frozen girl, took a deep breath to calm down, and put his arms around her gently.

"Kagome. Kagome. Look at me." The commanding, yet gentle tone of his voice brought the teenager's head slowly back up to look at him, tears still streaming from her pale blue eyes. "Please don't do this to yourself just to prove me wrong. I didn't mean what I said back there. I was just being a jackass, okay. Don't listen to want I said; forget about it. I don't think you're weak. Kagome, you're the strongest girl, no, woman that I've ever met. You're a skilled archer, and a powerful miko, and you have a strong, pure spirit. You're what keeps our group together. You give me strength when I fight. Don't think that you have to prove your strength this way. Please," he once again wrapped the jacket around the girl, tucked the edges firmly together around her thin frame.

"Please. Put this on, for me, okay? Onegai? Because I don't want to get sick. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you died. So let me take care of you, protect you, Kagome." Inuyasha breathed her name into her ears, puffing his warm breath over her cold skin. The miko finally nodded dumbly, and hiccuped once before throwing her arms around Inuyasha and hugging him tight. Without a word, the dog demon embraced her back, squeezing her to him as close as he could.

"Inu…yasha…" Kagome whispered in a tearful voice, after several seconds, "Arigatou. And I'm sorry…" 

A clawed finger stopped her from finishing the rest of her sentence, as Inuyasha shook his head at her and said, "Shh…it's okay Kagome. You don't have to explain anything. I know. Come on, let go and see if we can find some shelter. You warm enough?" 

Kagome nodded, and together, hand-in-hand, they walked out of the forest. 

Author's Note: Soooo… So was that sweet and waffy enough for you? ^.^ I know you all like Inu/Kag fluffiness, so I put that in. And there might be more next chapter, depending on how my reviewers want it! So review and tell me whether you want the next chapter to be a little blanket scenario! Okay?

Review Responses:

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C-Chan ~ Hee, hee. ^_^ Nope, it's not a blanket scenario yet, but enough people review, oh, say like 5 or so, asking for the next chapter to be a B.S. I'll do it! Did you like the fluff? Do you want it to be a blanket scenario?

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Kodokuchan ~ Thank you! I'm glad you really like it! Keep reading!

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chibi-chan ~ Yep! Definitely kawaii! I'll try to hurry with the next chapter, but it'll probably take longer because I've gotz lotz of school hw.

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BookDragon ~ Nope, Kagome's not gonna get sick, and she's not going to die, obviously, (duh ^_^;;) but someone is gonna catch a cold soon! Guess who! Arigatou for the nice comments!

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ChaosCat ~ Cool! Congrats on noticing the Princess Bride reference! Ya deserve a medal! That movie was awesome! Keep reading n' reviewing!

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Laura-chan ~ Here's some romance! Like it???? ~ ^-^ ~

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Itadakimasu ~ *giggles* You're funny! I'm sure that if you're insane, then I am too! Yes, fluff! And more in the next chapter! (Whether or not it's a blanket scenario remains to be seen, though) I want Inuyasha to be real too! Como estas? Estoy bien. Y tu? Come back soon! Talk to me! And thanks again for the review!


	26. Twas a Dark and Stormy Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha, or Kagome! Sorry!

Author's Note: Ohayo! I'm back, minna-san! You know that episode when Kikyou falls off the cliff, but she survives anyway? I feel like saying: "I'm alive! I'm alive!" ^_^ So…did you miss me? I've been so busy in school that I didn't get a chance to work on chapter 26 until now…I just came back from Baltimore, on vacation…Anyway, just to let you all know, I'm very thankful for all the reviews I received for my one-shot fic, _I Was Lying_. I'm glad some many people liked it! And I might make it into a collection of sweet moments, so for those of you who love fluff, please review that story and give me some instances that you want me to "recreate!" I'll be happy to write more! Now, on to this fic, which I made extra long to make up for the long time that I had neglected it… So enjoy! Lots of fluff in here, too! (It's seven pages typed! o_0)

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

Chapter 26

Two figures tramped through the woods, one clad in red, the other white. Surprisingly, though, the one in a red kimono did not have long white hair and furry ears, like a casual bystander would have expected. Rather, the person with the puppy ears was wearing a white inner kimono trudging along beside a girl with black hair, flecked with white spots of snow. 

"Inuyasha," Kagome asked in a quavering voice, "are you cold? You're only wearing a thin kimono, since I'm wearing your outer one. Though it is very warm and dry. Thank you, but I think you should wear it instead."

The white haired dog-demon shook his head, scattering snowflakes from his hair, as he replied, "No, Kagome. Keep it. I would rather get sick from the cold than let you get sick. Besides, I'm a half-demon. I'd get better much quickly, even if I did get sick. If you caught pneumonia or something and di- well, if something happened to you, I'd never forgive myself.

Kagome's heart warmed at his words, for although they weren't romantic and flowery, this was the closest he had ever gotten to verbally admitting that he loved her. The emotion in his voice was apparent. Though gruff, his voice seemed thick and husky compared to his usual bark. The young girl blushed at his sweet speech, and she pulled his hand closer to hers to hug him gently around the waist, unable to speak. 

Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, seemingly aghast at her affection, before relaxing and drawing his strong arm around her slim body, so that she was curled closely to his chest, and smiled silently down at her ebony black hair. The two walked on in comfortable silence, perfectly content to just cuddle up to each other, as if sharing their body warmth. The snow continued to fall, flakes drifting silently down onto the thick layer of snow already on the ground. Kagome stayed relatively warm and dry, for the flurries that landed on her borrowed coat seemed to magically evaporate before the moisture could seep into the cloth. Inuyasha, however, was getting soaked. His white inner kimono, not repellent of rain and wind like his fire-rat kimono was, had dark spots all over it where the snow had fallen and melted. He shivered once, but then gritted his teeth and repressed it, using his half-demon blood to control his human body's automatic response to cold. He could not allow Kagome to know that he as cold. If she found out, the stubborn girl would insist on giving him back the coat, and then she would be cold, too, and probably get sick…. The dog hanyou hugged the girl a little tighter, as if to make sure she didn't fade away in front of him, for one of his more youkai-like characteristics came from dogs: possessiveness.

They continued walking, their footsteps leaving deep imprints in the ground, only to be covered up again in a matter of an hour, for the snow was so thick and fell so fast that it quickly and steadily hide the dark footprints with a thick blanket of snow. Inuyasha kept his sharp eyes peeled for some form of shelter, for he didn't want to be outside when night fell, if it continued snowing. By now, his white kimono was soaked through, and his bare feet seemed half-numb as he continued wading through the snow with Kagome. Ironically, it wasn't his sharp demon eyesight that spotted the old wooden cabin that was half buried in snow. Kagome was the one who had found it. 

She gave a shout, and pointed towards the dark spot that stood amongst a sea of white. The two hurried towards it, Kagome lugging her backpack along behind her. Inuyasha reached the door first, and gave Kagome a hand to pull her over the broken step. They glanced at each other, then the hanyou cautiously pushed open the wooden door, which creaked in protest, and peered carefully through the opening into the dark interior. Kagome gave him and gentle nudge in the back after a pause, and they both stepped silently into the house. 

"H-hello? Is anybody here?" Kagome asked in an over-fake voice, trying to disguise her fear with a loud bravado. There was no noise at all. Inuyasha's ears swiveled slowly around the room, trying to determine if there were already previous inhabitants in the house. He couldn't see a single thing, even with his eyesight, and he couldn't hear any suspicious noises either, so he declared,

"There's no one in here, Kagome."

The young teenage girl let out an audible sigh of relief, and her tense shoulders relaxed again as the potential for danger passed. Inuyasha let down his guard a bit, too.

"Good. Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's spend the night here," Kagome spoke cheerfully as she let her backpack strap slide off her shoulder. It dropped off the wooden floor with a heavy thump. Inuyasha blinked in surprise at her sudden decision, but didn't disagree. Bending down, the miko rummaged through her pack, and with a cry of discovery, brought out two long candles and their holders, a flashlight, and a set of matches, one after the other. Inuyasha crouched down and helped her light the candles with the matches, which he had finally gotten the hang of last month. With an expert flick, the match was scraped against the sulfur edge and he touched it quickly to each of the two candles, before blowing the flickering flame out with a single breath. Kagome smiled approvingly at him, and Inuyasha grinned widely back, extremely pleased with himself for having "mastered" the use of another one of the strange objects from Kagome's world. The girl in question took one of the white candlesticks and held it up, examining the room perfunctorily. 

It had obviously been abandoned for a long time, for there were thick cobwebs and clouds of dust and debris in the corners and on the shelves. There was no furniture at all, except for a single lone wooden chair that stood forlornly against the wall. The walls and floors were gray and stained with dirt and grime, and the entire house consisted of only one room. Inuyasha wrinkled his nose in disgust at the dank, earthy stench that began to rise up from the floorboards as Kagome continued to step cautiously around the room. 

She voiced his thoughts aloud as she sniffed loudly, and said, "Whew! This place stinks! Lucky I brought a can of air freshener with me!" Walking briskly over to her backpack, she once again stuck her hand inside its mysterious depths and emerged with a can of Hawaii citrus scented air freshener. Taking the cap off with a loud pop, Kagome began to spray the air with it. The hanyou sweatdropped. What kind of person brought "air freshener" with her on a Shikon hunt? No wonder she always complained that her backpack was heavy! What other stuff had the strange girl brought from her world? He shrugged to himself, and, seeing that Kagome was finished with her spraying, took a deep breath of the now citrus-y scented room, then sneezed loudly at all the dust that had suddenly invaded his lungs.

"Bless you!" Kagome called absentmindedly.

Inuyasha glanced confusedly at her. What was the crazy girl blessing him for? He was a demon! Demons weren't supposed to get blessed, especially not by mikos! He frowned, puzzled, and sniffed. Before he could ask Kagome for an explanation, he sneezed again, louder than before. Sniffing loudly to clear his nose, he walked over to the still-exploring girl.

"Kago- Achoo!" He sneezed again. And again.

"Bless you. There must be a lot of dust in here," Kagome mused thoughtfully. The hanyou rubbed his nose, which was starting to ache from all the sneezes, then grunted in agreement.

"Well, I guess we can't start a fire in here. No Ramen, tonight, Inuyasha." Kagome joked. The hanyou's ears drooped slightly at the thought of not having his favorite food, but quickly perked up again as Kagome continued, "But I have a whole bunch of snacks and ready-to-eat food in my backpack. We can eat potato chips and chocolate, if you want."

And so they did. The two travelers sat by the light of the candles and ate junk food until they were full and drowsy. Well, at least Kagome was drowsy. Inuyasha was full, but not sleepy at all because of his still soaking wet clothes. And when Kagome started to lean towards him as she got tired, she was startled awake upon feeling his wet clothes upon her face. 

"Inuyasha!" She cried, "Your clothes are wet!"

"So?" Inuyasha asked indifferently.

"So, you've been in wet clothes this entire time! You'll catch cold!" she scolded, like a worried mother hen.

"No, I won't," the dog demon contradicted, "I'm a demon. Demons don't get sick."

Kagome frowned at him, and said, "Yes you will, if you keep wearing those wet clothes! You may be a youkai, but you're half human too!" Inuyasha scowled at her obvious and unwelcome reminder, and turned his back to her with his arms crossed, but then-

"Take your clothes off right now, Inuyasha!" The dog demon's eyes opened wide in surprise at Kagome's demand. "Please, take them off, for me?" Kagome whispered softly. It was meant to sound like an eloquent, heartfelt plea to pull on Inuyasha's heartstrings, but it came out all wrong, and to Inuyasha's ears, at least, it sounded more seductive that entreating. His heart started pounding loudly against his chest, and he moved his mouth, but no sound came out. 

Kagome, having just noticed his awkward silence, but being still oblivious to what her last sentence had sounded like to him, stopped talking confusedly. She watched a mental replay of what had just happened, reviewed what she and he had just said, and, having finally figured out what had disturbed him, gasped. She had just asked Inuyasha to take his clothes off! What would he think of her now? 

This only made the two even more awkward, and Kagome's cheeks began to flame a brilliant pink, for she was mortified at what she had just said. Her breathing got soft and shallow, coming in quick, small nervous pants, as if she had just finished running a race. Both of them faced away from each other, the tension between them thick and heavy. Inuyasha, whose ears were quivering and whose chest rose up and down unsteadily, took several deep breaths to calm himself down, then coughed lightly. The young girl blushed even harder at that, and she felt as if her heart was in her mouth as she stood there.

Finally, both of them said simultaneously, 

"Kagome- "

"Inuyasha-"

They both stopped, turned towards each other, flustered, and turned away again.

"You go first." They both spoke again at the same time. Both laughed, embarrassed, but the awkward moment had past. 

Kagome spoke softly, her hesitant voice wavering just a bit, as she said, "Um…never mind. You don't have to take…" Unwilling to bring up the topic again, she shook her head briskly and said, "Well, let's just go to bed. I'm kinda sleepy." She yawned, very unconvincingly, but Inuyasha let it pass.

The high schooler moved over to her backpack to bring out her blanket, but paused, uncertainly. It would be uncomfortable to sleep in her school uniform, but it seemed very unfair to force Inuyasha out of the cabin while she changed. After all, it was still snowing hard and freezing cold outside, and he was already stuck with a wet shirt. To make him go out and get wet again, just for the sake of her own selfish comfort, seemed too harsh, Kagome thought. So she sighed inwardly, shrugged, and got ready to crawl into the sleeping bag. Inuyasha, however, had noticed her momentary hesitation, and spoke gruffly, "If you want to change into those 'pa-ja-mas' or whatever you call them, I'll go wait outside." He squared his shoulders and walked over to the door, preparing to go out and face the storm, but the young girl stopped him.

Kagome felt a sudden wave of remorse at forcing him out, and suddenly, she cried out, "No! Stop! Don't go outside!" 

The dog demon stopped and asked, "Why not?" The high schooler worded her reason carefully, making sure than she wasn't treading on any dangerous ground or hurting his pride by insinuating that he couldn't handle the cold.

"Um, well, it's cold outside…so if you open the door…all the cold air will come back in…and, eh… the room will be very cold."

Inuyasha inwardly sighed in relief, for the weather outside was still bitter and cold, but all he said aloud was, "Fine."

So eventually, after dragging out her blanket, Kagome was ready to go to sleep. But here she faced another dilemma. Was Inuyasha going to have to sleep on the bare ground, without a blanket, and nothing but his own cold, wet clothes to keep him warm? That sounded cruel and heartless, too. It was probably something that Kikyou wouldn't hesitate to do. But at that thought, Kagome was determined to show Inuyasha that there were many differences between her and the dead priestess that still roamed the earth. 

Inuyasha, who was sitting with his back to the wall, legs folded and arms crossed, pricked up his ears as he heard Kagome's soft voice ask, "I-inuyasha?" She was already lying on the sleeping bag, which she was using as a mattress, but her head and upper body were propped up on one hand while the other was holding the edges of her warm, flannel blanket.

The hanyou looked inquiringly at her, but didn't reply.

"Um…aren't you going to go to sleep?"

"No, I'll stay here and keep guard," was the reply.

"Well… you could use the Tetsusaiga could bar the door against intruders. It's very reliable at doing that, right?" Kagome prompted him, hesitantly.

"Yeah, but… you only have one blanket." Inuyasha sorely wanted to get some sleep, for he was starting to feel tired, but he was unsure as to whether he should, during a snow storm, at night, while in an unfamiliar cabin. It seemed more reasonable to keep his distance from Kagome and guard her while she slept.

Kagome, heart thumping, said quietly, "Well, you…ah…could come and sleep here…if you want. This blanket's large enough for two people…"

Inuyasha's heart started beating faster again at her words, but, unwilling to show his reluctance, he said nonchalantly, "Okay." Kagome watched him out of the corner of her eye. It seemed to take an eternity for him to walk slowly towards her. Everything seemed to have been put into slow motion for those three long seconds of time. Inuyasha finally reached the edge of her blanket and kneeled down by her right side. He paused, seeming to hesitate. Kagome, unable to stand the suspense any longer, raised on hand up to gently pull on his shirt sleeve, forcing him to lay down.

But with a squeak of surprise, she bolted back up again. Inuyasha, alarmed, sat up quickly as well.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" He asked, concerned.

"Inuyasha! Your clothes are still wet! And cold! You're going to get sick if you go to sleep like that!" she cried. The dog demon glanced down at his shirt, which was as wet as if he had just jumped into a swimming pool. He opened his mouth to protest, but Kagome clenched her jaw and shouted, "Osuwari!"

The rosary around his neck glowed for a moment as the power of the spell yanked the hanyou to the ground with a loud thump. 

"What was that for?" He yelled angrily, his voice muffled by the blanket. 

Kagome got up and answered, "I'm going to keep on sitting you until you tell me that you'll take off your wet clothes and go to bed!"

"Wench! Whether or not my clothes are wet or not is none of your concern!" He growled from the ground.

"Oh, yes it is! I don't want to sleep all night next to a sopping wet dog-youkai, and I don't want to you catch a cold! Is that clear?"

Inuyasha leapt up, since the spell had worn off, and shouted angrily, "Crystal clear! If you don't want to get wet while you sleep and you can't stand having me watch you sleep, I'll just go outside!" Then, without waiting for a response, he took three giant strides towards the door, yanked it open, and disappeared out into the darkness of the stormy night, taking the Tetsusaiga with him.

Kagome ran towards the door and jerked it open, screaming, "Inuyasha! Come back inside you idiot! Do you want to catch pneumonia?!?!" She hurried after the disappearing figure of the dog demon, her big, red, borrowed kimono fluttering around her legs.

About half an hour later, two people stumbled back into the relative warmth of the cabin. Inuyasha, who was now even colder and wetter than before, and Kagome, whose cheeks were flushed with anger at his stubbornness. The dog demon had gone more than fifty yards away from the old abandoned house before Kagome had been able to catch up to him. Struggling to tug the stubborn hanyou back to the cabin, the miko had finally lost her temper and forced him to "sit" into the four feet deep snow. After that, all the resistance seemed to flee from the cold and wet dog demon, and he had allowed Kagome to drag him back into the house as they waded through the snow.

The candles had burned down to stubs by then, so the room was dark and cold. Groping around for a flashlight, with one hand still firmly grasping Inuyasha's arm, Kagome finally found her flashlight and turned it on with a click. Shining it towards the hanyou's face, she gasped. With one look at his purplish lips and pale skin, wincing at the icicles that had formed on the bangs of his hair, she pulled him towards the blankets and pulled out two more candlesticks to light up. By leaving the cabin with only one layer of clothes on, Inuyasha had put his own health at risk, and had paid the price. Kagome berated herself for "sitting" him, for that had just engulfed his whole body in more snow, and now the dog demon was as cold as an ice cube, half-frozen and shivering violently. He wasn't even responding to her frantic calls, although his eyes were still open. Sobbing with dread, she hugged him tightly, praying to the kami that he would not fall asleep on her.

Covering him with the warm blanket and shrugging off the fire-rat coat, she piled everything off top of his prone body, then rummaged through her backpack for her health book, which she knew had something about hypothermia. Pulling out the textbook with a trembling hand, she fumbled through the pages, almost ripping one of the pages in her hurry. 

"Finally," she exclaimed as she spotted the title: 'How to Treat Hypothermia' at the top of a page. Talking aloud to herself, she read from the book, "'Bring the person indoors or to a dry place protected from the wind.' Okay. I've already done that. Now what?" She continued to skim her eyes over the page. "'Remove wet clothing and cover the victim with dry blankets.' Um…okay…" Kagome glanced at Inuyasha, whose teeth were now chattering loudly. Blushing furiously, she kept her eyes halfway averted as she peeled off the wet inner kimono and his red pants. Pulling the blankets over his naked body, and rubbing his cold hands in a futile attempt to help his circulation, she continued reading, "'Remove your own clothing and lie under the covers next to the patient to transfer your own body heat.' What?!?!" The teenaged girl's cheeks burned an even brighter red as she pondered what she would have to do. Just then, as she was about to skip that part and go on, she heard a ragged cough from beside her. Inuyasha was lucid again, and his glittering eyes seemed to burn into hers as he whispered hoarsely, "Ka…go…me? A-are you alright?"

Kagome's eyes teared up again at the fact that he cared more for her than for himself, and replied softly, "Yes, I'm fine, Inuyasha. Stay still, okay? You'll be fine." Brushing his forehead with her hand tenderly, she wrapped the blanket tighter around him and kissed him soothingly on his temple as he closed his eyes. She glanced at his sleeping form once more, making up her mind, before blowing out both of the candles, throwing the room into utter darkness, except for the meager light which shone in through the single window. She slid out of her school uniform, goose-bumps rising quickly on her arms, and quickly raised the edge of the blanket and crawled in beside her sick patient, having decided that it was better to sacrifice her pride than allow Inuyasha to die of hypothermia because of her. Gasping upon the feel of his cold bare skin brushing hers, her cheeks deepened to an unearthly shade of red, and she blushed again, for the millionth time, as she realized how strange of a predicament they were both in.

For some strange reason, once Kagome had fully settled herself next to the sleeping dog demon, he shifted towards her and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her close to his chest and nuzzling her neck affectionately, like a little puppy. Of course, he was asleep, so Kagome had no choice but to lay there and suffer his attentions, but nevertheless, her heart started beating quicker when she heard him take a deep breath, with his nose buried in her hair, and murmur drowsily, "Mmm… Kago…me…." And he set his tongue gently upon her and licked the nape of her neck lightly, causing Kagome once again to gasp in surprise. But once she got over the initial shock of feeling his tongue upon her skin, she couldn't help but enjoy his administrations, and smiled. Rubbing his arms slowly, chafing gently at his cold skin, she tried to keep him warm, for the blanket did little to counteract the cold of the cabin. But finding that it was uncomfortable to lean on her shoulder as she massaged his skin, she reached one arm out of the blanket, stretching it upwards so that she could play with the furry little dog ears on top of his head instead. Meanwhile, her other hand curled around his chest so that she was firmly pressed against Inuyasha, and in this position, the two lay next to each other until her heavy eyelids closed and Kagome slowly fell into a blissful dreamland.

A/N: So, did you like it? For those of you who were wondering, the blanket scenario here is only part of the fun! There's more fluff coming up in the next chapter! (Which I already wrote half of but haven't finished so I can't post yet) Inu-chan is going to get sick so that Kagome can take care of him! Yay! ::hundreds of rabid Inuyasha fan-girls attack foureyedbookworm for making Inu-chan sick:: Anyway! Stay tuned for more fluffiness! And onegai, review!

Review Responses:

Itadakimasu ~ Hi!!! Thanks so much for the long review! You're so funny! I wish you luck with the charity box! ^_^ Maybe the crickets will give you something! j/k Yep, I love it when Inuyasha is sweet…

C-Chan ~ Thanks for your opinion! I hope you enjoy this blanket scenario, even if it isn't the classic plot…Good luck at surviving college! (I'd be bored out of my mind…) ^.^

Laura-chan ~ Here's more for you! Glad you liked it! 

totally-wicked ~ Thanks! I feel so special! My imaginary snow actually made you feel cold?!?! Wow! Cool! I know how busy you are, since I obviously am too, so I forgive you! J I wrote more fluff in this chappy, and there'll be more in the next, so keep reading and reviewing!

Kathrine ~ Yay! I'm glad you like my humble ficcy! Here's a blanket scenario for you! It's not that good, but oh well…gomen for taking so long to write it! Keep reviewing!

goddess of chaos ~ ::cringes:: I hope I haven't disappointed you, oh great and mighty powerful Goddess! Please don't cause me pain! ::bows profusely:: ^_^ I hope you enjoyed the fluffiness! There will be more soon!

chickittychick ~ Hey! No hard feelings! It's okay! I didn't know any Japanese either, until very recently. All the Japanese words I've added to my collection have been due to the great amount of Inuyasha fanfiction that I read! So don't feel bad, hun, 'cause I made a bunch of mistakes at first, too! And I'm still not an expert at it! Keep reading and writing! How's your story coming along?

gigi ~ Glad you liked it! Here's the blanket scenario, just for you!

Ice ~ I worked hard to make mine unique! Is it good? I hope you like my blanket scenario! By the way, Inuyasha and Kagome are my favorite couple, too!

Kodokuchan ~ Yeah, homework is probably the bane of all fanfiction authors all around the world! And I happened to be getting a lot of it lately! ::growls at the pile of papers on her desk:: Well, must be off now! Gotta go work on chapter 27!

Esther ~ Me too! I love fluffiness and waffiness too! Wow! Do you really think this would be good enough to be made into a movie! o_0 I'm not that good! But thanks for the encouragement! Keep reading!

Miyami ~ Yes, it is cold outside…was the blanket scenario warm enough for you? ^-^ Stay warm, and enjoy the fluff!

lizzy!! ~ It's okay! I was busy too! Take your time reading, and don't forget to review when you're done!

Sora Kazeno ~ Ack! I feel so stupid! I can't believe I did that! Ooops! Thanks so much for correcting me! But "he took off his pants" sounds fine to me, doncha think? ^_^ j/k jk

OreHnjEeH ~ Arigatou for the compliment! I'm so glad that you like my fic! How's college life? If you don't mind me asking, who's the other writer? I'm constantly in search of good fanfiction stories to read, and I would really appreciate it if you could tell me… Thanks again!

ArtemisMoon ~ Yay! Blanket scenario! Hope you like it! And yes, I absolutely love it when the characters get all shy and embarrassed! It's so fun to read, ne?

Thunk ~ Sure! Feel free to you whatever you want from my story as long as you give me some credit for it, k? Thanks for the advice about writing the blanket scenario! It really helped! Were my characters too OOC or corny? Please give me your opinion! Thanks!

strawberry goodness ~ MORE FLUFF?!?!?! I'll give you more fluff! ::picks up a giant cotton ball and prepares to throw it:: Not! Just kidding! ^_^ Well, there's plenty of fluff in here!

shinobu ~ Well, I'll have to put the undead priestess in sooner or later, since no Inu/Kag romance would be complete without resolving that issue…But I'll try to keep her out of the fic for as long as I can, just for you! And I'll try to update ASAP!

Neko ~ Sorry! I didn't get a chance to email you, because I was so busy in school…Gomen! Hope you get a chance to read this, though!

Seigan ~ Thanks! I personally enjoy long, 15+ fics myself! ^_^ Um…here's the thing with the blanket scenario. I actually have another copy of it written out that contains, ::ahem:: more graphic imagery. So if you want to read it, all you have to do is email me and put "blanket scenario" somewhere in the subject! I'll email you back and send you the more lemony version of the story ASAP! This applies to anyone who wants to read a more "graphic" blanket scenario!

Shichan Goddess ~ Thank you so much for reviewing so many times! I'm so pleased that you think I'm worth the time and effort of writing so long reviews! Arigatou! Yep, you're right about Inuyasha getting ill! He'll get sick in the next chapter, so that Kagome can take care of him! Yay! More fluff! I'll try to continue ASAP! Keep reading! And thanks for putting me on your favorite list! I'm honored!

niasdreams ~ ^_^ If you want the "other" version of this chapter, which contains some lime/lemon (not sure which yet) in it, I'll be happy to email it to you, once I finish writing it. Just email me a message with the words: "blanket scenario" somewhere in the subject! I'll email you back and send you the more "graphic" version of the story ASAP! K? 

Heather ~ That was a short review! But that's okay! Here's your blanket scenario, hope you enjoy it! 


	27. In Sickness and In Health

Disclaimer: The rights to Inuyasha and co. do not belong to me. I'm am merely borrowing them. Please don't sue!

Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaackkk!!!!!! ^_^ Hi everyone, long time, no post! I actually thought for awhile that I'd never finish this chapter! It sure gave me a lot of trouble though… But now, I'm finally finished with it! Yay! Whew. Okay… now, I hope you all haven't forgotten what the whole story is about, since I haven't updated in so long… ::sweatdrops:: Well, just read on and we'll see! Please review!

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The Course of True Love Ne'er Did Run Smooth…

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Chapter 27

Inuyasha awoke in the middle of the night upon feeling a warm, heavy bundle lying next to him. Feeling quite uncomfortably warm, though he didn't know why, he sniffed the air cautiously, and was immediately calmed by the closeness of Kagome's scent. Still drowsy, he opened his eyes slowly and glanced to the right. It took a few extra seconds for him to fully wake up, and realize that the shape lying next to him was Kagome! But upon doing so, he yelped with shock, and bolted upright from the floor, managing to wake up the sleeping girl next to him. 

Since it was still pitch black inside the cabin, he couldn't make out the face of the miko-to-be as she sat up. But before he could speak a word, his sudden movement caused a sudden wave of dizziness to assault him, and he had to clutch his head to prevent himself from throwing up. Once he felt the nausea pass, he started to lay back down, but began to cough violently before he could. 

Kagome, hearing the hoarse hacking next to her, realized that Inuyasha was awake, and quickly climbed out of bed. Trusting to the dimness of the room to obscure her nakedness, she hurriedly slipped on her clothes from yesterday, then knelt by his side worriedly, patting his back and supporting his body as it was wracked with tremors. When the sick hanyou had finished coughing, Kagome turned on her flashlight and gently pushed him back down onto the floor, covering him with the blankets.

"K-ka…go..me? What-" He asked confusedly when he saw her face, but was cut off a giant sneeze before he could finish his question.

"Shh…don't worry. You probably got sick because of the snow. Just lay back and stay quiet. Everything will be okay," she told him in a gentle, soothing voice. Reaching up to smooth the wrinkles out of his frowning forehead, she was surprised to find it hot to the touch and burning with fever. It was also damp with sweat. His eyes were bright and feverish, and his cheeks were flushed with heat, in contrast to the pale white they had been only hours before. 

"Oh dear! You have a really high fever!" Kagome quickly pulled the olive-green striped knot of her school uniform tie off and folded it into a makeshift handkerchief. She leaned over and gently wiped the beads of sweat off his face and forehead. "Hold on a sec…I think I have Tylenol…somewhere in here…" She said as she rooted through her backpack. Bringing out a small bottle of tablets, she opened it and shook out two small white pills, and handed them to him along with a glass of water that she had poured. Helping him sit back up, Kagome watched as he swallowed the medicine.

Making a wry face, he said ruefully, in a hoarse voice, after a pause, "Well, I guess I was wrong about hanyou's not being able to get sick, ne?" 

Kagome laughed gently, and replied, "Yes, but that's alright. I'm sure you'll get better soon. It's not your fault, anyway."

Inuyasha shook his silver head of hair wearily, but before he could contradict her last statement, he fell into another bout of coughing that left him gasping for breath afterwards. Kagome could see his bare chest (*ahem…no comments here please ^-^ ) heaving as he breathed deeply, and she could tell that his arm muscles were quivering with the strain of keeping himself from collapsing back down onto the bed. 

"Ano…Inuyasha, why don't you lay down and go back to sleep. It's only an hour after midnight, I think. We still have a few more hours to go before morning. And I'm going to go back to sleep too." Kagome stated quietly after another minute had passed silently.

The dog demon was unwilling to go to sleep, for he was always loathe to admit any weakness, in any shape or form, but he knew that it would the best way for his demon blood to help heal himself quickly. So, reluctantly, he grunted, and lay back down and snuggled into the blankets with a barely audible sigh of relief. Kagome fastidiously smoothed out the imaginary wrinkles in the blankets and wiped his forehead with her cloth, before reaching one hand up to scratch his ears. Before the drowsy hanyou could help himself, he began to purr from the back of his throat, sounding like a cat who is experiencing the pleasure of having his belly scratched. He heard a faint giggle from Kagome, and blushed, embarrassed about his purring, but was pleased that he had at least made her happy. As the young girl's nimble, slender fingers continued to gently smooth the tips of his puppy-like ears, rubbing and nudging, Inuyasha felt himself drifting off to sleep again. The last thing he felt was a pair of warm, soft lips upon his before he fell into darkness.

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The next morning, both Kagome and Inuyasha were awake again, and Inuyasha no longer had a fever or a cough. He was fully healed and healthy and strong, except for a slight case of the sniffles. And if anyone, anyone at all, noticed that his cheeks still held a slight tinge of pink to them, they would attribute it to his minor cold… 

The two had woken up that morning in yet another awkward position, for Inuyasha had been completely naked, and sleeping between Kagome's arms, when he got up. Kagome quickly let go of him once she realized that the dog demon was awake, and turned around, facing the wall, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and saying, "Um…Your clothes are against my backpack…I was letting them dry, so I think you can wear them now." She tried not to blush, or let her voice betray her, but nevertheless, as she spoke, a deep blush crept up her cheeks. If she had turned around, she would have noticed how the tint of her face matched that of Inuyasha's, for he too was blushing furiously, although all he said was, "Um, okay."

Once he had put on his fire-rat haori and hakama, Inuyasha silently walked over to Kagome, and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. She whirled around with a gasp, then sighed in relief once she saw his familiar face.

"Oh! You scared me for a second, Inuyasha! I thought you were still on the other side of the room…Anyway, I guess the storm's stopped…" Kagome continued talking, but he tuned out her nonsense babbling as he stared at her animated face. Placing one clawed finger on the lips of the blushing teenager to shush her, the hanyou took another step closer to her. Kagome abruptly halted as she looked up shyly into his honey-golden eyes, blushing an even deeper shade of red than before as she felt his finger upon her lips.

He uttered her name in a low, husky voice that sent flutters through the young girl's heart, "Kagome." It wasn't a question, or a statement, or even a command. The way he spoke her name, in the unique way only he could, placed an accentuation on one of the three syllables in some way that she had never known could be possible. It spoke volumes, through the pitch and timbre, rather than through the word itself. Her name, spoken by him, became a sentence, a paragraph, all by itself, which stirred the very depths of her soul. His rich tenor told of being soaked by warm, gentle, spring showers and being buried under piles of crisp, fresh, autumn leaves. It told of the cool, refreshing scent of the highest peak of a mountain and the roaring of the rushing, white-water rivers and waterfalls. Kagome found herself speechless, trapped in a spell that only he could break. 

"H-hai?" It was the only thing she could say, but even that came out mumbled and unclear, with his finger still blocking her lips.

His intense golden eyes burned into her face as he whispered softly, "Arigatou. For saving me from the storm, and taking care of me last night, and helping me get better when I got sick. I'm grateful."

Kagome's mind was racing at a frantic pace as she tried to come up with a rational reply. She was so flustered that all she got out was, "It's, I mean…that's, oh- you're w- I, wait, no…I'm not…" Her face was a flaming shade of crimson, and so quickly dropped her gaze again.

Her eyes met his, involuntarily, and he leaned ever closer to her. Their mouths were less than six inches apart, and Kagome's heart was beating furiously. _Oh my god! Is he really going to do what I think he's going to do????_ She thought frantically.

The hanyou moved his head closer, hesitantly, moving slowly to give the girl time to protest, or move, or something. But she merely closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, in a silent gesture of acquiescence.

Inuyasha smiled slightly, his own blood pumping erratically through his veins, and swept down to claim her lips. An instant before his skin touched hers, and loud bang interrupted them, and the door was knocked open by a snow-covered monk. Three seconds later, he was followed in by a demon exterminator, who, in her haste to get inside, had bumped into his sturdy body. 

With an "oof" of surprise, Miroku fell to the ground, accidentally grabbing Sango's arm as he fell and dragging her down on top of him. The breath was knocked out of his chest by the sudden weight, so he was unable to speak, while Sango was too shocked to move. Then, to add to the confusion, an orange bundle of fur sped in, hopped right over their entangled bodies, and attacked the stunned girl.

"Kagomeee! Are you all right? We were so worried about you! Where were you all night? Sango and Miroku and I started to look for you after the snow stopped but we couldn't find you and we saw the tracks in the ground this morning and we thought a demon had attacked you or captured you both or something! Waaaahhh! Kagome! I was so scared that you were hurt!!!!!" The little fox cub gripped her shirt tightly, his claws nearly pricking her skin in his anxiousness to be near her.

The young miko was startled, to say the least. A faint blush painted her cheeks, but she hurriedly hugged the kitsune back, answering, "Oh, I'm sorry you have worried you, Shippou. Inuyasha and I got stuck in the storm, and when we found this cabin we just decided to stay here for the night, to wait out the bliz –"

Her words were cut off by a loud smack. "HENTAI!" Sango screeched loudly, hitting him in the face with her hand as she struggled to untangle her limbs from his, furiously slapping him for placing his hands on her butt. The infuriated demon exterminator would have continued to pummel the object of her fury, but everyone was interrupted by a loud roar that drown out all other conversation.

"What the HELL is going on here?!?!?!" The hanyou shouted, his face a livid mask of rage. The rest of his companions froze. Miroku gently and unobtrusively removed himself from Sango's grasp, and got up, dusting himself off with a wince.

"Eh…heh-heh. Inuyasha… ah, I… um, I am very glad to see that you and Kagome-sama survived the snow storm. Sango and I were worried about your welfare, and so decided to set out to find you both this morning, after the blizzard had died down." 

The hanyou's face will still a dark shade of red, though whether is was from anger or embarrassment, nobody knew except himself. He gritted out through clenched teeth, "And what… may I ask, possessed you to come tearing in here and… knocking down the damn door?"

Sango sighed and stood up as well. "Calm down, Inuyasha. We weren't trying to purposely burst in on you guys. The tracks in the snow near this cabin looked like there had been a struggle, and judging from the footprints outside, someone was being dragged along, so we thought one of you had gotten hurt or captured by a youkai."

The houshi grinned suggestively, and continued, "Now, Inuyasha. Would you like to tell us why you're so upset about our interruption? It couldn't possibly have been because you and Kagome-sama were… in the middle of something before we came?"

"Pervert!" Was the general outcry in the small wooden structure. There were three loud noises almost simultaneously. One, Sango's boomerang making contact with the priest's skull. Two, Inuyasha's fist slamming onto his head. Three, Kagome herself, slapping him soundly on the cheek, leaving a red imprint of his face that rivaled the redness of her own two blushing cheeks.

Shippou winced. Yep, there were definitely some not-happy campers here this morning. He actually felt kinda sorry for Miroku. The kitsune glanced at the monk who was twitching in pain on the ground. Grope. Grope. Slap. "Lecherous priest!" Then again, he probably deserved it. 

A/N: So, how was it? Good? Bad? Don't really care? ^_^ I tried for some humor in that last scene, to balance out the huge amounts of fluff. (Which I'm sure most of you don't mind anyway…) Anyway, please review!

Review Responses:

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niasdreams ~ Sure! I'll send it to you as soon as I'm done with it! Sorry if this chapter took a long time in coming! 

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Shichan Goddess ~ I quite agree. Fluff is all that's needed to make the world go 'round. ^-^ I'm so glad that you liked it! I love reviewers like you who are so encouraging and cheerful. ::glomps:: How could I resist your offer of an Inuyasha on top? Of course, I had to write more! Keep reading!

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Itadakimasu ~ Thanks so much for the long review! You made my day! Sugar cookies are good, but chocolate chip ones are better! Nyaahh! j/k Wow! I'm honored! You read my story twice??? ::gasp:: Falls over and dies… Heh, heh. 

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shinobu ~ Yep, I updated! It's a miracle! ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!

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jenna ~ Did you press the review button twice accidentally, or were you trying to emphasize your point? :D I tried to fit in tons of fluff to please you, along with all my other fluff-crazed readers!

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Laura-chan ~ Eek! Hope you're not dead yet! LOL I'll seriously try to update sooner next time… now if only I could convince my muse that it's worth it to get brilliant ideas more often…

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C-Chan ~ Yep, I completely agree with you. I didn't want Kagome to get sick for the blanket scenario because I've read so many fics that have her play the role of a weak, sickly human girl… Sigh. What are these people thinking? Kagome has to stay well so she can pamper Inuyasha when he gets sick! ^___^ Though this chapter didn't turn out exactly the way I had envisioned it… oh well! Arigatou for your review!

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ArtemisMoon ~ ::gasp:: Please forgive me for supporting your fluff addition! I'm utterly ashamed of my villainous act! How will I ever live it down! NOT! I live to addict people to Inu/Kag fluff! That's my job, my duty, my calling, my destiny!!!!!! Bwuahuahaha! You will never escape my fluffiness! LOL ^_^ Awww… was the "Easy as 1, 2, 3" story just for me???? Ahem. Well, I know it's not, but I'll pretend it is anyway… Loved it! You're a bloody brilliant genius, ya know that? Oh, and by the way, I do know a teensy bit about Rurouni Kenshin (sp?). From what I've seen of the episodes on T.V, it looks quite interesting, so maybe I'll go back actually seriously read "Koishii" later on… Please do go read "My Lady Miko," it's suffering from a lack of reviews… ::pouts:: Anyway, sorry about the insanely loooooonnng response… Thanks again for the review!

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AWC ~ Well, I tried for more fluff! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

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Esther ~ Thanks for reviewing *and* emailing me! Sorry, but I think Kikyou will have to eventually appear sooner or later, because I need her to DIE so that the conflicting emotions between Inuyasha and Kagome are resolved… (It is just me, or I am being a bit sadistic?) But don't worry, you're not the only who hates Kikyou…

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killer-tinkerbell ~ Thanks! Hope you like this chapter as well!

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Emily Jones ~ Well, here's more fluff, coming right up in dangerously large dosages! ^-^

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Crystal phoenix ~ There wouldn't be any chance that you'd lend me that big pile of soft fluff, would there? ::gives her a puppy-eyed look:: Please? Pretty please with an Inuyasha on top? :p

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Miko of Ice Warrior of Heart ~ I'm glad you liked it! Continue reading and reviewing, onegai?

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Galenbrethil ~ Wow! You actually came to read and review my story! Thanks so much, Em! You should write more, too… ^_^ I have no doubt that you'd be a wonderful writer!

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InU-cHaN ~ Love Inu/Kag romance? I think that makes you, me, and the entire rest of the fanfic world all part of a Inu/Kag romance club! ^_^ And I have a friend who likes DBZ also…

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josie ~ Heh. Don't worry, you're not the only one who's sadistic. I would kill for a chance to "nurse" Inuyasha while he was sick… ::grins:: Hope you're not still sitting at the computer and waiting!

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chickittychick ~ Hiiii!!! Long time no see! Hope your story is going well! I'll drop by and read it someday, when I have time, okay? Glad that you liked the last chapter! Keep reading and writing!

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Inferna ~ Well, actually, Inuyasha's been sweet and caring about his feelings plenty of times in this fic. Besides, he didn't _kiss_ her, he licked her! Bwuahuahaha!!! Of course, now that I think about it, I guess that would be more intimate than a mere kiss, ne? Still, Kagome inwardly hopes that he really cares about her, but she's afraid to take it the right way in case she's being used as a substitute for Kikyou… But thanks for bringing it up! I welcome constructive criticism! I'm glad you liked the story, though!

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Hiko-and-Kenshin ~ I dunno, maybe your right. But the Snow-White scenario was so appropriate to the scene, I couldn't help but stretch it out a little… Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

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xXMistrssNarakuXx ~ Blech. Jaken in a Speedo?!?! Please, spare me the horror! o_O Thanks for putting me on your favorites list! I'm honored! I'll go check out the other fic some day, when I'm no busy! 

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Païen ~ Lucy! You reviewed! Wow, I'm so happy! The best authoress in the world has honored me with her sacred words! LOL Eh-heh-heh…as for the not posting… it's the typical procrastination snydrome… ^_^;; I'm still working on beta-ing your fic, too! But anyway, keeping reading and writing! 


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